Cod Almighty | Diary

Do you believe in magic?

30 January 2023

Miss Guest Diary writes: Now I'm no fan of magical thinking, as regular readers will know, but if I were I think I'd have to take a tiny bit of credit for Saturday's result.

You see, it goes like this. Back in 2016 I had a ticket for the play-off game at Braintree which I chose not to use because it was a boiling hot day and I couldn't face two and a half hours in the car followed by another two hours standing on an open terrace. Then last year I had a ticket for the play-off eliminator at Notts County which I gave to a friend because I was having an attack of sciatica and couldn't face tramping to the County Ground from our usual parking spot in West Bridgford, followed by standing for another two hours at the match. On neither occasion were Town favourites, but they won.

So, when I had a tummy upset in the days leading up to the Luton game, it felt inevitable that I should give away my ticket and help Town into the next round of the cup. It didn't go quite as well as hoped, but I feel I played my part. It's now up to the team to do the rest in the replay as there's no way I’m giving up my seat at Blundell Park.

The replay being next week means that the re-arranged game against Harrogate will have to be postponed again. At least if we do make it into the fifth found there won't be any need to postpone another league fixture as, quite bizarrely, all the games will be played in mid-week. Is that a first?

Thanks to Harry's equaliser on Saturday, Town go into the 'hat' for the fifth round draw tonight, and sod's law says that Town will get that "big game" everyone bangs on about, adding to the disappointment should we lose next week. I wonder – does knowing who their next opponents would be give the players an extra incentive to win, or place an extra burden on them? Any sports psychologists out there care to enlighten us? Of course, it will be the same for both sides.

Wasn't it fantastic to see Town feature prominently on Match of the Day, and to see Harry Clifton get the analysis-with-the-arrows treatment. The first time I have ever bothered to actually watch the post-game tactical chat. I just hope managers at other clubs weren't paying too much attention – that transfer window is still open and it would break my heart if someone made an offer that the club (and the player) felt they couldn't refuse.

We also have Match of the Day to thank for Liam the media man's fifteen minutes of fame after his little pitchside dance when Harry scored. Sometimes being a Town fan is just the best feeling in the world.

Then there's the heartwarming message espied on the tinfoil FA Cup during the BBC coverage of the yesterday's game at Wrexham. We can all get behind that one!

Sadly, some are still giving the management team a hard time for not yet making a hatful of signings this month. Rumours continue to abound that we are trying to sign Andrew Dallas from Solihull Moors, or as the local rag styles it, Town are in a  "bidding war" with Hartlepool. Though some have now suggested we don't need to sign anyone else as Danilo Orsi's performance on Saturday makes him the striker we've been seeking all along. Then, of course, there's the constantly anticipated return of the Wolds' Panther from Lincoln. Magical thinking isn't the half of it with some Town fans.

UTM