Cod Almighty | Features
Get with the Swindon Programme
By Various, 17 May 2025
Speedway! Magic Roundabout! XTC! The Anglo Italian Cup! Welcome to Swindon, the place where the seventies survives
Ryan Bennett - the boy in the bubble
By Richard Dawson, 13 May 2025
With automatic shoes and 3-D vision, the last great Buckley Babe strums his way into the VFTF millennium Mariners XI. Richard Dawson sifts for some old gold
Get with the Morecambe programme
By Various, 7 May 2025
What do Morecambe think of it so far? What do we think of our jaunts over to the West Coast Meggies? Get with the Morecambe programme remembers this and that
"Surprised if not exactly shocked": a page from Town's early days
By Rob Cavallini, 7 May 2025
In an extract from his new book A history of Grimsby Town 1878-1910, Rob Cavallini describes how they upset Brigg fans on their way to the Lincs Cup final
Not too bad, all things considered
By Alistair Wilkinson, 5 May 2025
Al Wilkinson submits his end of year report on this curious seasonal mix'n'match of Hurst's hunches and Artell's algorithmic assortments
Get with the Newport Programme
By Various, 3 May 2025
A short history of Fenty's deconstruction, swapping strikers for fun and the acme of Pied Piperball
Get with the {expletive deleted} programme
By Various, 26 April 2025
The grass is greener, the roof's been fixed and home is where the heart is. Ignore them, let's talk about us.
Get with the Port Vale Programme
By Various, 21 April 2025
Potter through to three o'clock with a pot pourri of Port Vale incidents and accidents. Get with the Port Vale Programme is your late Easter egg
Get with the Salford programme
By Various, 18 April 2025
The celebrity circus was in town and the Class of '92? You're in the wrong place my friends. But which is the dirty old town these days?
Get with the Harrogate programme
By Various, 12 April 2025
We're rarely happy in the home of the Harrogate Hotspurs, where red kites flutter, away fans mutter and many a Mariners ex has the hex on Town.
Danny Coyne - not drowning but saving
By Alistair Wilkinson, 8 April 2025
The latest TVFTF 21st Century starman didn't blow it for Al Wilkinson. You know it's worthwhile thinking about the good old days of Danny Coyne
Get with the Crewe Programme
By Various, 1 April 2025
Who are Crewe, who-who, who-who? Do you really wanna know? Tommy Forecast, undead pigeons and a prescient prediction of the shape of things to come
Get with the Colchester Programme
By Various, 28 March 2025
More Mariners allusions and delusions about dem darn Colcestrians. Come bask in the afterglow of a ranting Buckley and a flotilla of fleeting Frenchmen
Get with the Notts County programme
By Various, 24 March 2025
There's never a dull moment when Town play the simple Piemen. Except when there is. never mind, no-one's seething John, not now.
Luton's Michael Reddy - a larrikin lark of a lad
By Steve Meek, 12 March 2025
He saved his best for last, and we were the last of him. Steve Meek finds words to sum up the mystery and mystique of Luton's Michael Reddy
Get with the Tranmere Programme
By Various, 11 March 2025
Breaking News: it is scientifically proven that in any article about Tranmere you are always only six sentences away from a Half Man Half Biscuit reference
The best of the best: a Town team from between the wars
By Pat Bell, 10 March 2025
Many of Grimsby's finest players came together in a glorious age between 1925 and 1939. Pat Bell picks out an XI
Get With The Fleetwood Programme
By Various, 9 March 2025
Uncle Sid, Captain Pugwash, Jamie Vardy, Richard Brodie, but at least their fish is as cheap as chips. Come waste your time with memories of Town v Fleetwood: a short history of nothing
Get with the Walsall Programme
By Various, 8 March 2025
You might have to Google Walsall, but you should never have to Google Alan Buckley.
Get with the Carlisle Programme
By None, 4 March 2025
Some days you go to Carlisle, that's just way football is. Lumpy, Livvo and lasting memories of marrying two ends of our spectrum. Oof!
Get with the Cheltenham Programme
By Various, 28 February 2025
Dr Suess's turning in his grave as all thoughts turn to the Spa down the road that isn't as cheap as chips but, unfathomably, wins awards for its fish.
Get with the Gillingham Programme
By Various, 22 February 2025
It's the time, it's the place, it has emotion, but sometimes it's the way we are feeling when Gillingham roll into Town. Gillingham, it makes you think.
Get with the Doncaster Programme
By Various, 15 February 2025
It's the dreaded Donny day of destiny again and there's only one question "Can they make Grimsby like they made Doncaster". And would we like it?
John Oster - A fleeting glimpse of Grimsby genius
By Pat Bell, 11 February 2025
Defenders turned to look but he was gone and we can put our finger on why John Oster left again and with him went Grovesie's dream of survival
Get with the Chesterfield Programme
By Various, 9 February 2025
Follow us down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has rarely shone: those days where Town are inspired against occasionally insipid Spireites.
Draws, the most dangerous results in football
By Peter Anderson & Bill Meek, 5 February 2025
Town have been looking at the right end of the table this season and we want David Artell's side to take advice from Retro Diary to keep us there.
We'll keep the red socks flying here
By Jack Sargent, 4 February 2025
It's February, so let's have the annual furious argument about socks. Jack Sargent gets out his abacus and colouring book
Get with the Bromley programme
By Various, 1 February 2025
What about the Bromley contingent? Tales of Charlie Bucket, 70s pop rounds and some perspective on travels to Fat Andyland
Get with the Barrow programme
By Various, 25 January 2025
Town away, what to do, what to do? Meander down memory lane with some more amusing Mariner musings on the Barrowboys to while away the day
Get with the Wealdstone Programme
By None, 18 January 2025
Now That's What I Call Wealdstone, the latest greatest bits compilation album. Some bangers and B-sides as we do the Ruislip Lido Shuffle
A Hard Man in Hard Times
By Tony Butcher, 14 January 2025
With a cat's foot but iron claws plastic surgeons were called by more than one teammate with Andy Todd in town, but at Town he was a pussycat that purred.
Get with the Sheffield Wednesday programme
By Various, 11 January 2025
The hazy, crazy, balmy days of August and Town playing Big Wednesday on a Tuesday. Words appeared in the programme. Here they are.
Get with the Bradford programme
By Various, 3 January 2025
Here it is, the missing link! Here's what you would have read in the Bradford programme way back in August had it been published.
Get with the Accrington programme
By Various, 31 December 2024
This year's matchday programme has your own, your very own CA as a space-filling content provider. It's time to release the Director's Cut for our friend Stan
Get with the Programme
By Various, 23 December 2024
This year's matchday programme has your own, your very own CA as a space-filling content provider. It's time to release the Director's Cut.
Football Family
By Lucy Stocks, 19 December 2024
Mr Target Demographic Diary, also known as Charlie Cross turns 21. The perfect opportunity for his mum to remind us what a treasure the game of football is
O Captain, My Captain!
By Sarah Mann, 12 December 2024
Next up in the TVFTF hall of fame it's the rock when we were in a hard place. Sarah Mann's so glad we got Captain Sensible aboard the ship of fools
Not GY Evening Telewag
By Various, 29 November 2024
News from Swindon of ghosts and goblins should be welcomed as encouraging by Robins fans writes Geoff Trabant
Marvellous McAtee
By Charlie Cross, 12 November 2024
He sways his head from side to side with movements like a snake and when they think he's half asleep he'll bake them a cake. And he's the next TVFTF superstar.
News that Never Happened - The Osmoaned Stand
By Peter Anderson, 16 October 2024
Town's recent unstoppable streak of not losing many games has propelled them to within touching distance of league respectability. But at what cost?
His Left Foot
By Tony Butcher, 15 October 2024
Who da 21st Century left-back? It's the little boy that Nicky Barmby forgot who came into our life and was a Stradivarius in a school band. The third in TVFTF's Team of the 21st century
All swagger, all heart
By Richard Dawson, 12 September 2024
Who's the second in TVFTF's Team of the 21st Century? Come wallow in sweet memories of a fondly-remembered fan favourite and charismatic card magnet
A Perfect Saturday at the Death of August 2024
By Alistair Wilkinson, 6 September 2024
Saturday, what a day. Big Al, the Pontoon's poet in residence savours the moments while we can.
That's Life - David Burns interview part two
By Tony Butcher, 3 September 2024
More tales from the life and times of Dave Burns: Alex May, John Fenty and the wacky world of Dave Gibbins.
David Burns: it ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it
By Tony Butcher, 26 August 2024
Regrets? He has a few. David Burns, the big beast of the BBC walks us through a life less ordinary in part one of confessions of a radio broadcaster
You'll never beat McDermott
By Sue Firth, 13 August 2024
Let's start at the top for the 21st Century XI: the Mariner's Methuselah didn't need to tackle, was seldom booked and never booed. Arise Sir John.
A 21st Century Portrait of Town – Introduction
By Chris Mills, 24 July 2024
Uncage the colours, unfurl the flags, the boys from the View From The Findus podcast swing in, and out pops the top Town XI for the 21st Century
Tell Me Why
By Richard Lord, 9 July 2024
W.H.Y. Rich Lord sets out why those holding any power, even down to just someone where you work, need to explain why they do what they do, or don't do