Cod Almighty | Diary

It is important throughout your life to proclaim your joy

27 January 2023

One of my favourite ever Viz Top Tips read: avoid depression and suicidal thoughts by simply moving away from Luton, Bedfordshire.

Well, tomorrow, approximately 1,500 Grimsbyites will ignore that advice and descend on the home counties hellhole for the forthcoming fourth round FA Cup defeat. Some will come complete with the iconic inflatable Mr. Harry Haddock. The fans of this club are amazing. I hope they have a wonderful day out.

Town's January has so far been the equivalent of opening the front bedroom window and throwing all of your cheating boyfriend's clothes onto the front lawn. As a consequence we may very well not be able to fill the subs' bench - admittedly a very long bench that seats nine – for tomorrow's tie. Our forward options are, um, limited. But I'm trying to be positive.

A BOTB diary without moaning is like Bernie Clifton (no relation) without his ostrich. But look at it this way, I support a club for which 1,500 people are happy to go to Luton to watch half a team try desperately, against the odds, to get a replay. I daresay the players we have left will fight to the death for the cause. There are so many marvellous things about this football club that criticism is disarmed. We are in the fourth round of the cup for the first time in many years, and that is an achievement in itself. Well done, us. Look, I'm not going to complain about anything. If you are about to set off to Luton the last thing you'd want to read is some middle-aged bloke whining. Go, proclaim your joy and raise the roof.

By next Friday the window will be closed and we will have a much better idea of what the team will look like for the rest of the season. By that stage I may be pleasantly optimistic or absolutely fuming, Brian. Normal service may well be resumed.

But for now, it's the cup - we're in the cup! We have great fans, we are Grimsby and we will be 'til we die. Days like this are what supporting a football team is all about. UTM.