Cod Almighty | Diary

I read the news today

1 June 2021

We'll pass over it, but our thoughts are with the victims of Geoffrey Broome, who do not have that luxury.

Last week, Middle-Aged Diary started the attempt to find a team of players who have shone in adversity: players who played well in a season when Town were relegated. Donal O'Riordan (1987-88) and Clive Mendonca and John Oster (1996-97) were named immediately, and we've had enough players to fill out a fair bit of the XI since.

Tony Butcher has proposed Mike Edwards from 2003-04, and if this team was to have a manager, it perhaps should be Graham Rodger. His caretakership that season would surely have averted the drop if he'd been given the chance. From our first drop into the Conference, Dan Humphrey has proposed Peter Bore (a suggestion backed by Tom Sargent) and Jamie Devitt. Michael Coulson would also be a decent shout, but probably not a keeping Oster out of the side shout.

No less than seven of the team who got Grimsby out of Division Three in the championship year of 1979-80 helped get us out the wrong way in 1976-77. Three of them were featured in the Great Grimsby XI, published in We are Town in 2015. The universal opinion of Daubney Diary, Rob McIlveen and Bill Brewster is that Joe Waters has to go in. There's also enough wind to confirm Kevin Moore as left back, making up for the faint injustice that was done by his exclusion from the Great Grimsby XI. Tony Ford and Kevin Drinkell were probably too callow to be considered for 1976-77, leaving us to weigh the claims of Bore and Dave Booth at right back.

So the team as we have it so far:

Goalkeeper
No nominations yet: Danny Coyne from 2002-03, Steve Sherwood from 1987-88 or perhaps Harry Wainman from 1976-77 (He was ace when we lost at Sincil Bank, I remember)?

Right back
Dave Booth (1976-77) or Peter Bore (2009-10)

Left back
Kevin Moore (1976-77)

Central defenders
Mike Edwards (2003-04) and AN Other (any takers for Georges Santos from 2002-03?)

Central midfield
Joe Waters (1976-77) and Donal O'Riordan (1987-88)

Right wing
John Oster (1996-97)

Left Wing
Jamie Devitt (2009-10)

Strikers
Clive Mendonca (1996-97) and AN Other (Marc North from 1987-88, perhaps?)

Over to you for your thoughts on the vacant and contested positions.

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