Cod Almighty | Diary

More Cards Than Clintons

2 April 2025

There are many analogies to describe the experience of supporting Grimsby Town. One that currently comes to mind is riding the Boomerang at Pleasure Island (RIP): You are slowly winched to a glorious height with a spectacular view, but then the brakes come off, and you are catapulted at speed through a series of corkscrews before doing it all again, backwards.

Following the Colchester game on Friday, we were at that beautiful height, admiring the view from the upper levels of the league, with the dream of the playoffs, or even automatic promotion, becoming more of a reality. A Tuesday night fixture against Crewe didn’t seem like the worst challenge, but then rumours broke during the day that Danny Rose had suffered a concussion with fans left wondering whether this was a brilliant April Fool’s joke or just another name to add to the injury list. When the latter materialised, alongside the realisation that the club had no fit strikers, there was a sense that perhaps our promotion dreams had been dented.

Expecting the youth and relative inexperience of Luker and Barrington to lead the line was a big, but arguably unavoidable, ask. Whilst there were occasional sparks and displays of determination, it ultimately proved fruitless. There wasn’t much between the sides for most of the match, but performance levels across the team were below par. It certainly wasn’t the worst showing of the season, but compared to the heights reached against Colchester, it was hugely disappointing. Losing again after conceding from two set pieces compounded the misery and brought back that all-too-familiar feeling of reverting to type, when conceding from set pieces seemed to happen most weeks.

Quote of the day had to go to David Artell in his post-match interview with Matt Dean, stating that referee Paul Marsden gave out "more cards than Clintons." He rightly separated the referee’s performance from the loss, but he didn’t hold back in his assessment that "he was the worst ref we’ve had by far this season," showing no sign of his usual empathy for the "milkmen, architects, and geography teachers" who are "doing the best they can."

The soft free kicks, missed penalty and sending-off decisions, and the bizarre indirect free kick inside the penalty area were just a few of the highlights that contributed to the impression that Marsden had lost control of the match, earning himself a seat at the "awful referees" table alongside the infamous Declan Bourne. If only he'd taken our match reporter's advice after an identikit perfomance back in 2019.

It wasn’t our night, but there is still hope. League positions don’t lie, especially as Easter approaches, and it’s remarkable to think that Town sit seventh in the league despite enduring a second major injury crisis this season. If there’s one thing we do well as a club, it’s embracing a triumph in the face of adversity mindset. The team has demonstrated in recent months that they have developed the fight and resilience to bounce back quickly, and Morecambe at Blundell Park on Saturday is a great opportunity to do just that.

It won’t be an easy game. Morecambe are in hot pursuit of Tranmere at the foot of the table and have improved since the return of striker Lee Angol. However, they haven’t won away since Boxing Day, placing a huge chance at the feet of Town. The likelihood that Danny Rose and the club’s other recognised strikers will all still be missing is obviously a concern, but if we play the game smart with the cards we’ve been dealt, we can still come away with a result.

So, as we get back on the Grimsby Town rollercoaster, let’s strap ourselves in for the twists and turns of the remainder of the season. Travel sickness tablets at the ready but prepare to be thrilled.

UTM