Cod Almighty | Diary

Get yer trousers on, you're nicked

6 September 2023

Some years ago a friend of Wicklow Diary founded a local schoolboy football team. In a commendable but failed attempt to sign Wicklow Junior in central midfield and Wicklow in the club treasurer role, the friend chose black and white stripes as the new club's kit.

The club has since expanded across many age groups and we're naturally drawn to watch a little whenever we pass their games at the local pitches, knowing that they're not just black and white stripes but Town's black and white stripes. 

This rather middle distance winded story helps explain why Junior had Town's FL Trophy match on the box last night. GTFC, or anything GTFC related, chasing the bag of wind is a magnetic draw; that loyalty being both the strength, and weakness of all football fans. Is that enough conscience soothing or do we need to mention the games was included in the Mariners TV season subscription?

Regardless, enough was observed to be in a position to take more positives than negatives from the outing. An unfamiliar Town XI looked the better side for long periods and with a bit more cutting edge up front would have won the game. The obvious negative being we've heard that one before.

Individually, Abo Eisa slalomed from halfway to almost score another goal of the season, and Jamie Bramwell and Cam Gardner did enough in their second half appearances to suggest they can feature for the first team in a real competition at some point. The other Jamie, Jamie Andrews looked a bit of alright as well.

Which, with some effort, uses a Jamie the Third, Jamie Green, to segue into our closing paragraph. Remember him? Searching for the chocolate digestives, Wicklow stumbled into a discussion at the CA Towers Retirement Home this morning regarding ex-Mariners on show at Hallam v Rossington Main last night. Ross Hannah, Greg Young and... Jamie Green are on the books for the visitors, with the latter proving difficult to recall for some of the assembled ex-diarists. 

He's not alone either, twenty year gaps were discovered with starting elevens easily recalled in the Kerr and Buckley years but with a mysterious void up until 2016. Are we losing it at CA or are teams and players only remembered if they win something? Warning: If anyone mentions increased player turnover and windows, they risk setting Mardy Diary off. So please do.