The Diary

Cod Almighty | Diary

Don't slam the door on your way out

13 January 2022

Hello all! Today's Glass Half Full diary is admittedly overshadowed by the awaiting of developments on the incoming player front, and a desire to not mention recent results or badges. So let's look forward, although it is difficult when we aren't scoring goals and are lacking choice of players.

A summary of recent events:

  • Two cancelled season-long loans as their parent clubs recalled Seb Revan and Will Bapaga from their GTFC spells.  (Understandably so given their lack of pitch time)
  • Two rearranged home fixtures; King's Lynn visit on Tuesday 8 February, and Boreham Wood visit on Tuesday 1 March, incidentally the only two teams in the division we've yet to play this season.
  • Two suspensions affecting Saturday's home tie against Altrincham; Lenell John-Lewis is joined on the sidelines by Harry Clifton after a 5th yellow card picked up at Halifax.

Any positivity here?  Well, the departures certainly create squad space, and now all 2021-22 games are fully arranged. Today is apparently media day at Cheapside, so hopefully news is imminent.

Numbers-wise, Town are starting to struggle. Revan's departure plus Clifton's 1-game ban, alongside Michee Efete's hamstring injury, mean 3 of Tuesday's 16 players definitely won't be available on Saturday. If no new players arrive later today, or certainly before the weekend, then Sean Scannell and Evan Khouri are the only non-goalkeeping alternatives without delving into the youth team squad again (the usual candidates so far for bench duty have been striker Edwin Essel or midfielder Aaron Braithwaite) or potentially recalling current loaned-out players (Spokes, Goundry, Adlard, Rose), assuming we have recall clauses. To digress, check out the sparkling new official site's u18 squad profile of Aaron Braithwaite; sparse is the word.

In his post-match Radio Humberside interview, Paul Hurst said something might be happening on the incoming front. You would hope so given all our departures and absences. All is quiet at the time of compiling this, except for a Fishy messageboard rumour of another Port Vale full back joining Adam Crookes on the books, which sort of rhymes.

Finally, kudos to however many of you away travellers who went to Halifax on Tuesday; looks like it was approaching half but I couldn't find an exact figure from the hosts, which given the controversy about the Boxing Day allocation is somewhat typical.

Now, I shall do us all a favour, and click submit, at which point there will be an avalanche of signings*, and tomorrow's diary can assess their CVs for us! Laterz!

*This may not happen, but would be nice, provided they are not a Holloway-type of series of acquisitions.