Cod Almighty | Diary

Out of the Slough of Despond

7 November 2022

Miss Guest Diary writes: Town's 5-1 win against third tier leaders Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup was as accomplished as it was unexpected. Argyle hadn't lost a game since August while Town had lost their previous two games and, with all their more experienced strikers out injured, had a starting line-up of a back four plus six midfielders. Even before I saw the size of their forwards I feared a hammering might be on the cards, and that was before the Pilgrims scored in the fourth minute.

I turned to my other half and said it was going to be a long afternoon, which was also apparently Hurst's fear, as he admitted in his post-match interview.

What happened next feels little short of a miracle. Being a goal down meant that any instructions to "keep it tight" would be a waste of time, which freed the players from their timidity of the first few minutes. Town's first goal, more like luck than skill as the ball simply hit Smith and went in, further seemed to galvanise the players and from then on there was only one team in it. I can't talk about tactics or offer theories about why Town were so dominant but can testify that the experience as a fan was simply brilliant.

When you are a regular supporter attending games in the fourth tier you inevitably experience quite a bit of mediocre football. A battling team performance against a good side, such as the 0-0 with Bradford, is likely to be followed by a dreary capitulation, as happened at Hartlepool two Saturdays ago.

If a victory comes out of the blue like it did at the weekend, it's vital to make the most of it. So I have relived and revisited Saturday's game many times in the last couple of days via TV highlights, YouTube, Mariners moments, blogs and Tweets in order to keep the good feelings going because, let's face it, there's no predicting what will happen when Town host Doncaster next weekend. The highlights with John Moore's commentary are the best, of course. Crikey!

I had hoped to see our loanee Stephen Wearne shine in Torquay's televised game against Derby County but, disappointingly, he was a bit anonymous. Torquay's equaliser in the 95th minute to secure a replay was fun, though. Several ex-Town players were spotted in the cup highlights: scorers Jake Hessenthaler, Akheem Rose and Ashley Chambers, plus Omar Bogle, Slim Charles Vernam, Craig Clay sporting a moustache and getting sent off at Crewe and – spotter's badge for Mr Butcher – Andi Thanoj playing for Coalville.

Asked his view of who he'd like to draw in the next round, Paul Hurst wasn't really bothered but suggested Sheffield Wednesday would make a good game. I'm always a bit puzzled by all the mental energy people can expend in considering the options when it's something over which none of us has any control. We'll all just have to tune in to BBC2 at 7pm tonight to find out. I would prefer not to get Wrexham, though, for obvious footballing superstition reasons.

Meanwhile, if you've got a subscription to Mariners TV, there's a lovely interview with Town legend Dave Moore. Apart from reminiscences about his many years at Town and FA Cup games of the past, he reveals the origin of his 'hard man' act of wearing shorts all winter. No spoilers here, you'll have to find out for yourself.

UTM