Cod Almighty | Diary

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

3 September 2021

This is going to be a short BOTB diary for reasons I won't bore you with, and it may lack some vim. Many will doubtless be delighted, as they often tell me they find my longer and vimmier diaries quite insufferable.

Tomorrow the Mighties skip gaily amongst the lawn sprinklers of Blundell Park once more, taking on Barnet, pronounced Barnit for no obvious reason. It must be very frustrating, learning English, though of course having been born here I am now speaking it very good. Barnit have conceded eight goals in their first three games, five of those being at home against the Notts Counties, and they have also lost at home to not only the Dagenhams but also the Redbridges and gained their sole point against the Solihulls.

This can by no means be considered a rocking start to the season, and Town will fancy their chances tomorrow [for more on Barnit/Barnet, check out Miles Moss's rough guide here - ed]. With the talent for punditry and football knowledge I exhibit on a daily basis I predicted that last week’s slaughter lambs Weymouth were so poor they wouldn’t log a single point this season. They subsequently beat Maidenhead by three goals to one in midweek. This suggests to me not only that I should keep my mouth shut, but also that the standard in this division is not going to be very good. This diary may come back to haunt me.

The Telewag earlier this week used the phrase ‘superb point at Stockport’ which is something you don't hear very often. Yes, they’ve spent a bit of money, but come on. You can have a superb draw at Anfield, a superb draw at Barcelona, even a superb draw at someone like Plymouth if they are miles clear at the top of the table and it’s a long way on a Tuesday night, but a point at Stockport must always be described as hard-earned, deserved or disappointing. That’s the law.

Every diarist in CA history seemed to have been there apart from me, and the general consensus amongst the scribes/scribettes was that it was a shit game. Never mind though, it was a Town away trip with our marvellously loyal fans present and that is a victory in itself in these peculiar times. It was also another welcome clean sheet, though more by luck by judgement as the Stockport forwards seemed unable to hit a cow’s derriere with a banjo despite clear opportunities presenting themselves.

At the other end, as football journalists always say, we were denied a clear goal when the referee blew up for a foul committed by a passing ghost when McAtee slotted one home. We know what to expect from referees at this level – hallucinations, basically – and we also know what to expect from this manager. Hurstian teams are nothing if not well organised without the ball, though I’m sure his obsession with defensive substitutions will cost us at some stage this season. I don't think this part of the diary will come back to haunt me, I’m going to be right on this one. Just you wait and see.

So, in summary: Short diary. Home game incoming. Come on the Mighties.
Whether or not you’re going to the game, have as good a weekend as you can. Cheers and UTM.