Cod Almighty | Diary

Make it Happen

24 April 2026

Swindon tomorrow. The hollow one's boys have been poor recently with just one win and six points in the last five games. No, they don't lose many, but their earlier season form has fallen away quicker than a prime-ministerial U-turn. Maybe not that quick. On Christmas Day they were joint top with Walsall, and the Saddlers have, for the second season, fallen away Starmeringly quickly. By comparison then, Swindon have done well and by the end of February, they were only out of the top three on goal difference and Walsall had slipped to tenth.

So, there was no need to panic. Your A46 Diary is sure that they weren't looking at Grimsby, but they'd stretched the gap between us to 13 points. The future was bright. The automatics were on. The hollow one was at his most gregarious. But he was niggling over the Football League Trophy, bitter about punishments, suspensions and expulsions, annoyed about anything and everything, shouting and performing at anyone who would give him a microphone. The defeats, or at least the lack of wins, started to pile up; in the interviews, the hollow one was no longer gregarious.

A good time to play them then? Who knows. Their away form is joint best for wins, 11, but they've lost eight. They don't do draws. Neither do we. Artell confirmed that draws are not much good in his pre-match interview, making it explicit what we've all realised this season: we play with the attitude that going for two more points is better than holding on for one. We live in exciting, post-Parslow-point, post-Hurstian times.

And tomorrow will be exciting. Grimsby Road filled with midday sunshine, the paths thudding with fans' feet, a sell-out crowd, both teams with all to play for, simmering angst, an ex-boss, umpteen ex-coaches, an ex-player in Palmer, two members of the League Two team of the year in Rodgers and Drinnan. These are the games we want to be involved in. These are the games earned by a season of graft and guile. These are the times when we get to play in games that matter more. Tomorrow, we can make sure we have at least two more of those games.

Into them, Town.