Cod Almighty | Diary

Your regular Tuesday diary, on a Thursday. That's life summed up in seven words

26 May 2022

Trentside Diary writes: So that's been a tense few days. Your regular Tuesday diarist couldn't manage Tuesday this week due to other commitments and to be honest I was gutted, as the youngsters say. One way or another there was going to be something to write about, wasn't there? And there was, with Glass Full Diary covering it very well. I'll just mention three things that have stuck with me before I move on.

I have to admit I like a drummer at football. There's often one at Town and it can really raise the troops. We didn't need one on Monday but, listening to their drummer, I wonder if their players felt like they were deep in Jumanji with the Town players coming at them in all their marauding magnificence. Let's be honest, many of us still miss hearing Richard and his trumpet at games. Hopefully one day there will be someone talented and confident enough to take on the role.

I loved reading former players' tweets before and after the game. This felt on another level to 2016 and they really seem to want Town to do well. Our club is so different, isn't it?

It was heartbreaking to see Scanz on crutches. I'll just leave that there.

Onwards. I've been all of a dither this week. I don't think I've come down from Monday yet and then the nerves are building for the weekend. Yesterday there was the added pressure to try to secure tickets for Saturday. First time my lad has messaged me a reminder to set my alarm. Unlike County, who could have given us more, Wrexham will fill their allocation. We're stuck with 1,200. I was fairly chilled about getting tickets but to see some of the meltdowns on social media has been so ridiculous as to be amusing. The contortions they went through to justify why they should get a ticket ahead of other season ticket holders was impressive.

The decision to split the allocation, with some tickets being sold online and the rest for fans turning up in person seemed a pragmatic way to try to manage a challenging situation. Some people can't queue for hours to try to get a ticket, whether due to other commitments or geography. Don't like it? Tough, it's the modern world and there will probably come a day when buying online will be the only way to get a ticket, particularly for bigger clubs. Ringing up? You don't ignore punters standing in front of you to answer a phone. It's not good customer service. The days of ringing up to beat the queue are gone. Get yourself an online account or link your ticket to a mate who has one.

Some fans want to "make it fairer" by giving fans loyalty points. Based on what? The number of away games? If you like, but that's not the only way that people support our club. Why shouldn't they have their commitment recognised? What about how much money you shell out that benefits the club in sponsorship, the lottery, half-time draw or in the club shop. Do we get anything for the four-hour round trip we do for every home game? And there are people who travel a lot further than us.

Once you open this can of worms it's not as simple as some would like. A "fair" system is in the eye of the beholder. If it works for you, you will probably like it. There are so many committed Town fans who may have all sorts of reasons for not getting to as many away games as others. Why shouldn't they stand a chance of a ticket? They are no less of a fan. Whatever your thoughts don’t be a dick about it, be nice. All Town aren't we?

UTM.