Cod Almighty | Diary
The police are getting younger and shin pads are getting smaller
6 December 2023
There's only one show in town big enough to warm the cockles this chilly Wednesday and that's The Neil Woods Funkadelic Superyouth Experience. Wearing shin pads small enough to make even Jack Grealish pause and reflect on what he's started, Town's Youth team dispatched Premier League Academy big boys Nottingham Forest 1-0 (AET) last night in to reach the last 32 of the FA Youth Cup.
The 118th minute winning goal was an absolute peach as well, check out the finish from Henry Brown after a jink and pass from Grayson Giles:
A goal worthy of winning any game!
— Grimsby Town F.C. (@officialgtfc) December 6, 2023
Watch Henry Brown's late winner as our youth team advanced in the FA Youth Cup last night!#GTFC pic.twitter.com/Vg0k1gYoVb
While the Blundell Park groundstaff reacted to the result with a terse "yeah, bloody amazing" on their way to Kneeslide Corner with 'Ground Under Repair' signs and a bag of Miracle Gro, Neil and his boys are looking forward to the fourth round draw. The competition website is unclear as to when that is but does have all results and the details of the outstanding third round ties.
Incidentally, if you could hear a grating sound this morning it was the CA crew's remaining teeth when they read this About page. "Generally it has been the big clubs with the most sophisticated youth set-ups and advanced recruitment techniques that dominate The Youth Cup’s list of winners. Chelsea have been the pre-eminent force of late, winning five of the last seven Finals." Let us fix that for you: "Since the creation of the Premier League, we've stood by as their clubs have drove a cart and horses through the game. Sophisticated rigging of the system via EPPP has allowed PL clubs to hoover up all the talent with financial dopers Chelski FC the most dedicated to the cause".
Sorry, this isn't intended as bitterness, just to highlight how impressive progress in the competiton is for Town. The other purpose is to stress a hope the players are just good enough to progress to the first team and lead us back to division two but not good enough to be noticed, and probably ruined, by PL poachers before then. Otherwise they'll soon be off to Crystal Palace for a bag of balls and some used training bibs. Rumarn Burrell, remember him? He plays for Cove Rangers now somewhere in the Scottish league. No one can tell me he wouldn't have been better off staying at Town.
Up the Mariners.