Cod Almighty | Diary

Things can not only get better

10 January 2025

After a disappointing weekend for Town fans last week, this one has started badly too; your regular diarist is unavailable and BOTB is here to fill the gap.

I've not had too much notice, so this is the diary equivalent of being in the bath when the fire alarm goes off and ending up in the assembly area in a dressing gown with a rubber duck in one hand and a loofah in the other. Grimsby Town? Yes, I support them. You want me to write something pertinent and entertaining on that topic? Now? Oh dear.

Well, tomorrow, as we all know, the mighty Striped are taking on Notts County, or the Double Windsor Devons, as they like to be called, at the unusual time of 12.30pm Greenwich Mean. Incidentally, when my Uncle Peter was a little boy he thought Greenwich was something to do with a green witch and refused to go near the marker on Humberston beach in case he encountered some evil spellery. What a dafty.

Earlier in the week I thought the match would go ahead but infuriatingly cheerful weather goblin Paul Hudson has now downgraded the expected temperature and frankly I think we'll be lucky to see any action. The Fishy's prediction thread is the most downbeat I've ever seen, with 0-4, 0-6 and 0-5 amongst the potential scorelines being mooted. So perhaps we'll be unlucky if we do see any action.

If I was writing this ten days ago I would have been a happy chap but two bad defeats later I'm back in the footballing slough of despond. I was fortunate enough not to go to Bradford and witness the Yorkshire Horror but I've heard enough from attendees to shatter any optimism I may have had left over from last year. Although, actually, my mate Dave went and he gave our performance a five star review – he said it was f*****g crap. Ha ha. Me funny joke.

I've been too long as a Town fan not to always be looking at the bottom of the table, and I reckon we need four more victories in our last 21 games to ensure safety. That's doable. What was that? You want your regular cheerful diarist back? Look, I'm called Bottom of the Barrel Diary for a reason, you know.

Whatever happens, keep reading your super soaraway Cod Almighty for all the hot GTFC-related gossip. And regular service will be resumed next week.