Cod Almighty | Diary

These are the days

23 April 2026

In a previous diary I drew parallels between this season and the double Wembley season through our home shirt and cup runs. It’s now time to draw parallels between this season and the time we denied the Magpies, the Red Dragons and the Sunny Hulls via an utterly absurd play-off campaign that still to this day feels like a dream that only us and Adam Summerton can recall.

It was the most ludicrous play-off journey ever, and it’s barely known about outside of Grimsby. Believe me, your West Yorkshire diary has tried explaining what happened in that barmy May of 2022 to non-Grimsby fans, but no one has the attention span for it. Let’s be honest, there is no short version of that play-off story. If you’re going to retell it, you’re going to have to relive it — every single minute of it — and Premier League fans just can’t relate. Don’t waste your breath. You felt it, you lived it. We know. All those other idiots are missing out.

Ah yes, the parallels (nearly forgot!): a strong start that got us all excited about potentially being in the mix for automatic promotion, a big wobble in which we plummeted down the league to the point where the play-offs felt fanciful, then a big surge back up the league and into the top seven with some serious form and joyous momentum. And we fell in love with the players for it, even the loaned ones. We couldn’t meet the Magpies there again, could we?

I’ve been getting serious cases of déjà vu recently. I could have sworn that, in 2004, I prepared to travel to Tranmere, hoping to see the Mariners record a crucial victory on the last day of the season while keeping one eye on the Chesterfield score. Twenty-two years on and I could be about to repeat the very same journey, only in slightly sunnier circumstances. The Spireites climbed above us that day; let’s hope their post-penalty party from last week turns out to be embarrassingly premature. We can save penalties too, you know! We have our Jack-O lantern, a beacon of hope. The season turned when he arrived. The game turned when he saved Cambridge's penalty on Tuesday night. How crucial could that toe-prod turn out to be come 2.30pm on Saturday?

That’s right — we could confirm our place in the play-offs before Chesterfield even kick a ball, while taking the wind out of Holloway and the win out of Swindon. Yes, that’s right: S’don. My eight-year-old son confused their name from when we played them last season, fusing it with a team he saw us play against in his first ever visit to Blundell Park — so in our household the Robins are known as Swindledon, just as Slovakia is known as Souvlaki-a. He even said Rodgerses the other day! Have you ever heard anything more beautiful?

My son isn’t a football nut, but these Mariners are slowly drawing him in. It might not sound like much, but when the season began he could name only one or two players. Now we predict the starting line-up together. He even takes pride in playing like Kieran Green on Saturday mornings for his U8 side (although he’s still disappointed with Kieran’s haircut). They are becoming familiar, household names. They are being given time to cement themselves in Mariners folklore. This is a team worth getting to know.

Maybe this group of players will be remembered as fondly as the ones that played for us in 1997-98. Alan certainly remembers them. Click the link when you've found a free hour.

Talking of U8 sides — the club have welcomed a cohort of young Mariners from that age group to their Academy this week. Just look at their eager and excited smiles! 

So then, have you voted for your Player of the Season? So many to choose from, so much to consider. I reckon any one of Charles Vernam, Kieran Green, Harvey Rodgers, Jaze Kabia and Jackson Smith would have done enough to win it in any other season, but my choice — with no recency bias whatsoever (because I submitted it before the game) is Cameron McJannet. This is a tough league, with rough men. Cam’s stood tall and played every minute of it. What a find he’s been. His performances since arriving have belied his relatively modest career.

A close second was Kabia. He’s scored more at this level than he did last season two divisions lower when he came to the attention of our recruitment team. But how can you look past Green, or the Wolds Panther? Recruitment is better, players are better, this club is getting better. Every single bit of it.

And even if it doesn’t make a significant jump up next month, you begin to feel that it’s only a matter of time before it does. UTM!