Cod Almighty | Diary

Pump it up, Danny

21 November 2022

Miss Guest Diary writes: I was so pleased to see Danny Amos start in Saturday's game. As someone who played a large part in Town's run-in and promotion last season – and in the celebrations! – it has seemed a pity he hasn't featured more this season. Especially as he always looks like such a cheerful and willing squad member in the behind-the-scenes videos. I'm not saying that I think he's better at full-back than Anthony Glennon – I don't – but Danny did well as a wing-back at the weekend, even earning CA's Man of the Match.

The game itself was another patchy affair, but the late goal at least made it feel like we had got the better of the draw. I am not worried by Town's current run of form. There have been injuries to key players and, as last season, I'm confident that Hurst and Doig will be able to bring in players in January to boost the squad for the second half of the season. I'm not predicting another promotion run, though – mid-table will do me just fine.

I suppose I have to talk about the World Cup, so I will; but not the controversial competition which started yesterday in Qatar. Instead I want to mention a couple of current documentary series about Italia 90, which caught my attention because that was the first World Cup where I watched lots of games not featuring England.

Italia 90: When Football Changed Forever is currently showing on Channel 4 and concentrates on the England team, particularly emphasising issues with fans and hooliganism. To be honest, I have watched only the first episode of this series. It didn't really show me anything I hadn't seen before, and didn't inspire me to want to see any more. But younger folk might find something new in it to interest them.

In contrast, Italia 90: Four Weeks That Changed The World, showing on the Sky Documentary channel, has a much wider scope and is more interesting as a result. As well as England, it features Italy, Germany, Yugoslavia and Cameroon, with footage from their matches and interviews with players from those teams. Also some political context about the fall of the Berlin Wall, the break-up of Yugoslavia and the emergence of Africa on the world footballing scene.

When not watching everything football, my other interest is film. So I was rather envious to read about the glitzy premiere in Cleethorpes last week of Jack Spring's new film Three Day Millionaire. The film is set in Grimsby and described as a black comedy about a gang of cash-strapped trawlermen who carry out the heist of a lifetime. It is showing all week at the Parkway Cinema in Cleethorpes. I probably won't be able to get along there myself but maybe I'll manage to convince my fellow committee members at the Lincoln Film Society to screen it next year.

I will be maintaining my principles and boycotting Town's game against Accrington tomorrow evening, but I can't pretend I won't be tuning in to watch the England World Cup game later today. Their chances of progressing beyond the round of 16 aren't rated very highly, but then the England team at Italia 90 weren't at all favoured before the tournament started, and look how that turned out.

Whatever will be will be, the future's not ours to see.

UTM