Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 10 June 2004

10 June 2004

Failed Notts County striker and Majestyk nightclub-goer Tony Hackworth is said to figure strongly on Russell Slade's much-discussed list of potential new signings. Said by Slade himself, actually, if these second-hand reports about Radio Humberside interviews are anything to go by. As with other rumoured transfer targets Colin Cryan and Ashley Sestanovich, the player spent some time on loan with Slade's Scarborough side last season, scoring three goals. Hackworth began his career at Leeds, where his two or three brief Champions League appearances loomed less large than his acquittal of charges of affray, grievous bodily harm and conspiring to pervert the course of justice in connection with the violent beating of a young Asian man outside a city centre nightclub in January 2000. The player looked for a fresh start at Meadow Lane the following year, moving for £120,000, but came only to be regarded by many Magpies fans in much the same way their Grimsby counterparts now tend to think of, say, Murray Jones and Mickael Antoine-Curier.

The annual round of musical chairs that follows the arrangement of pre-season friendlies has kicked in, and having been left standing red-faced when the mighty Rotherham cancelled their trip to little Grimsby, Town have saved what little face remained by fixing up a kickabout with Scarborough on the same day. The Mariners head up the coast to Slade's old gaff on Tuesday 20 July, with Blundell Park hosting the usual, obvious, boring old fixtures against Scunthorpe and Willem II on 24 and 26 July.

Young Greg Young is "expected to" sign a new contract when he gets back off his holidays on Monday, trumpets Town's official website, hopefully not in the same way the Diary was "expected to" do well at A-level maths. Russ is "also optimistic that Graham Hockless will also sign a new deal soon," also adds the report also, but then again, the head of sixth form was optimistic that I'd get an A for it, let alone actually complete the course instead of dropping out after a year.