Cod Almighty | Postbag

Frosty

16 December 2012

Hello and welcome.

As you may remember, recently we've been taking a look at notable Grimsby comebacks. Today, we're going to be considering notable comebacks against Town. We also recall a memorable moment of in-match humanity by a past Grimsby player.

If you would like to comment on anything you read in this postbag, or elsewhere on Cod Almighty, or have any other thoughts about the Mariners, football, or aspects of culture from Grimsby and Cleethorpes, do get in touch, by emailing us at postbag@codalmighty.com

Notable Town collapses

Dear CA The recent correspondence about unlikely Town comebacks had me reflecting on what I suspect is the rather more common phenomenon of spectacular Town collapses. My Gran used to send me the Sports Telegraph every week and I can still recall the headline: 'Town 3 up then Vale score 4 in ten minutes'. This was at home, just before Christmas in 1975, and our defence was clearly in a festive mood although I note from a contemporary account of the debacle that the Port Vale manager's half-time talk consisted of him telling his players that he would be sacked if they lost. Clearly they wanted to keep him - I wonder if the tactic would work with our present incumbents?

On the subject of Sports Telegraph headlines I still treasure 'Town humiliated by part-timers in cup shock'. Humiliation is clearly a relative concept as we had only been held to a one-all draw at home by Blyth Spartans (December again, 1973) and we won the replay. It's a headline that could have been used on several subsequent occasions over the years, as each time the degree of humiliation was ratcheted that bit higher. Keep up the good work. Best wishes

from Russell Moseley

Basil

I wonder if anyone remembers this, apart from the 'victim' himself? I don't recall the opponents, but Rathbone got to 50-50 first just in front of the Main Stand and, unable to halt his own trajectory, sent the ball hurtling into the crowd. Equally unable to move in time, a young boy took the ball full-on in the face. Rathbone continued his run, leapt over the old fence into the crowd, and refused to come back onto the pitch until he was sure the kid was OK. Does anyone remember this? It showed that the hard man was humane, after all. I've never forgotten it.

Best

from Phil Ball

Thanks Phil, and thanks Russell.

As this is likely to be the last Postbag before Xmas, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Lincolnshire Derby and an only slightly disappointing Second Half of the Season.

Good night, and God bless.