Cod Almighty | Diary

We'd do anything for Town, but the rest of Cod Almighty won't do that

26 March 2025

How have we ended up here then? Sleep-walking into a promotion race.

The dust has settled on what could, and probably should, have been a much more comfortable win over Newport. Those flags in the directors’ box can be deconstructed again and I can start to plan which of the remaining away days to go to, starting with Colchester on Friday night.

Looking at the fixtures now with optimism and wonder rather than fear and dread is a strange feeling, how quickly things can change in twelve months. All I wished for at the beginning of the season was mid-table obscurity with a bit of nice football played here and there, but now we are officially safe from relegation and sit precariously on the bottom rung of the play-offs ladder.

As Miss Guest diary wrote on Monday, life is all about decisions; I now have to decide how I explain to my partner that I’d rather spend my Friday evening away from her and in the Roman capital of Britain. Well not quite, more so a glorified Meccano set, on the outskirts of the Roman capital of Britain. It’s not cheap to follow Town away anymore, so whilst I’m in the process of buying my first house, I need to weigh up which of these ‘6 pointers’ I can justify going to. It would have been far easier to scrub half of these remaining away games off if we were on the beach with Newport in that mid-table obscurity that I’d so desired. These pesky, promotion-hopeful Mariners are insistent on playing out the season with something to play for though, so where do we have to left to travel?

Colchester - A place that makes you pray we never leave Blundell Park - my only previous visit was 7 years ago to watch Russel Slade’s outfit draw 1-1 at the ironically named Colchester Community Stadium, which is further away from the community than Layer Road ever was. Our car broke down and we didn’t get home until gone 1am from a 3 o’clock kick off. Good one, cheers. Honestly, I’ve had more reliable journeys laid on by Trans Pennine Express!

Crewe – A new one for me, and 3 points here would go a long way to creating a bit of a gap between us and have me looking at hotels for Wembley. The only trouble is trying to find my way there and back, so I may have to save my money and see whether we’re still in the running for the final 3 away games.

Harrogate – Hotels booked (tick), tickets purchased (tick), and a new ground in a lovely town with a night out in York to follow (tick). Don’t mind if I do! Although, with the club’s recent announcement about not being able to bring food into Blundell Park, I’ll treat this as a trial run for perfecting my smuggling technique. I’m thinking of sneaking a couple of pies in like George McEachran shielding the ball in midfield – low centre of gravity, impossible to dispossess.

Port Vale – Another new one for me, and a place I have never stepped foot, so apologies Vale fans, I’m judging this purely on the Stoke City fan I sit next to at work. If a day out in Burslem is what I must endure to witness more Artell-ball then so be it; were going to Burslem lads.

Milton Keynes. You know it, I know it. I really hope we don’t have to go and give our money to Franchise FC. But if promotion is still on the line, I suppose I can reel it in, part with my cash, and pretend that it’s not a betrayal of football’s soul. Needs must, after all.

So lots to consider and some financial planning to do along the way; my bank account is looking at me the way a Colchester car park looks at an unsuspecting breakdown victim! But what better justifies the expense than standing on the terraces, side-by-side with the Mariners faithful, watching our first football league promotion push since I was 8 years old? See you all there.