Cod Almighty | Diary

I don't want to go to Crawley

23 May 2022

Miss Guest Diary writes: I have a confession to make. I was one of the fortunate 2,000 to secure a ticket for the Notts County game but I won't be using it. Don't worry, it's not going to waste, a friend who is a regular supporter will be taking my place. I won't go into my reasons – some of them sensible, others probably a bit irrational - for swapping the hurly burly of Meadow Lane for the peace of my own armchair in front of the TV. But for any magical thinkers out there I will say that it's a good omen: I had a ticket for the second leg of the play-off semi against Braintree back in 2016 which I didn't use, and look how that turned out.

On Friday BOTB Diary, rather cavalierly I thought, promised today's diary would contain the latest news and gossip about tonight's match. I am going to return the favour by suggesting he will provide a detailed report on the state of player contract negotiations this coming Friday. But I digress.

Having listened to Hurst's 20-minute YouTube ramble with Matt Dean so that you, dear reader, don't have to, I can report: there are no new injuries; Arjan Raikhy isn’t fit enough to start a game; David Longe-King has returned from his loan to Woking; Paul Hurst has some selection ideas but he's not going to tell us about any of them; and the club have been talking to McAtee about his contract.

Meanwhile, the club are issuing more tickets for folk to watch a broadcast of the game in McMenemy's and have passed on advice from Notts County for those visiting Meadow Lane. I was amused by the suggestion that "Out of respect to your fellow supporters, sit in the seat clearly marked on your ticket. Stewards will be on hand to help you find it should you need assistance." Over the years, my experience of being required to sit in my numbered seat has been that it depends which steward you ask and how near to kick off you pose the question.

At this time of year I normally amuse myself while waiting for the fixture list to come out by pondering what new away trips might be possible next season. Less rewarding when you're stuck in play-off limbo, and possibly tempting fate too? I'm going to do it anyway. Assuming we stay in the Conference, the new grounds for me would be Maidstone, Dorking and York. Incidentally, congratulations to Lenny for being part of York's promotion success, including scoring in the play-off final. The other newbies in next year's line up – Gateshead, Scunthorpe and Oldham – are all too familiar.

I was really, really hoping never to have to visit Gateshead again, scene of my coldest ever Town-watching experience and, of course, the 2014 play-off debacle. When Gateshead were demoted to the Conference North in 2019 due to financial irregularities (isn't that a wonderful catch-all phrase), I was hoping that we'd seen the last of them. No such luck – the footballing gods really do like a laugh, don't they.

Frankly, looking upwards to the fourth division and seeing teams like Stevenage, Swindon, Crawley, Northampton and Tranmere simply fills me with inertia. I would never go so far as to say that I don't want Town to succeed in this year's play-offs, but a long weekend in the Dorking area – providing it's not in the depths of winter – is way more appealing. Though with a ground capacity of just 3,000, tickets for that game might be even more difficult to come by than for tonight's.

Whatever will be will be, but whatever it is we won't be going to Wembley. Unlike the GTSET Shadow Scholarship boys who went there on Saturday to pick up the trophy for winning their league. Well done lads.

And then there was Wrexham, who went to Wembley yesterday with their celebrity owners in tow and managed to lose to Bromley in the FA Trophy Final. Those footballing gods again giving us neutrals some fun. If Town win tonight I really fancy our chances at Wrexham on Saturday.

UTM!