Cod Almighty | Diary

If it's Friday, Stanley Baldwin must be Prime Minister

21 October 2022

It's not BOTB Diary today, but an emergency stand-in. For the last couple of days Middle-Aged Diary has been so engrossed in the 1930s I'd almost certainly fail the standard test of memory. Don't ask me who the Prime Minister is.

I used to think it was impossible for the Town fan of today to understand the sensibilities of a generation who had gone through the Great War, political instability and the Great Depression, and who faced the increasing certainty of another war with Germany. The way that football has held its place in our emotions since our own economic shocks, our own instabilities and the Pandemic has convinced me that some things don't change. The Grimsby Telegraph, as it might have in recent times, observed on the one hand that Town fans might take lessons from other home crowds more vocal in their support, while on the other praising their loyal attendance during some thin times.

My inter-war obsession makes me careful to avoid calling tomorrow's opponents Bradford as until the 1960s that meant their neighbours who played at Park Avenue. The visit of Bradford City has all the makings of an occasion. They will travel in numbers and the presence of Mark Hughes in the away dugout, with his air of former-Premier League self-confidence, is sure to be a lightning rod.

For much of the 1930s of course, Town prospered through hard times, a large share of their all-time greats featuring in its most memorable matches. Today, they have been insulated from the shocks of the last few weeks by our astonishing season ticket sales. We've all of us made our decision this year. Come next July, after energy prices and mortgage rates have bitten, it'll be harder to commit. A performance from the Mariners to live up to the occasion tomorrow will help.

Enjoy the game.