Cod Almighty | Diary

On-brand fluctuations

23 April 2025

More frustration on Monday, then. It turns out lightning does strike twice. Did we deserve more from the Harrogate and Port Vale games?...(We certainly got what we should have from the match in between, but we'll pretend that never happened).... Probably. But we very rarely get what we want. We do, however, often get what we need.

Following our football club, perhaps more so than many others, isn't for the faint hearted. Swap the first two words (life is) from the famous confectionery-related Forrest Gump quote to "Town are" and you're getting somewhere close to summarising the life of a Mariner.

Emotions all over the place. But that's what we desire, isn't it? It's what we crave - hope, despair, possibilities. The unknown. It's that uncertainty that drives us. Comfortable wouldn't feel right. It's not what we do. Ever.

Following on from the superbly presented heritage event showcasing Grimsby Town's wonderfully unique history, our current crop of black and white striped favourites mirrors our entire existence; predictably unpredictable. Consistently inconsistent. Pull your hair out annoying, but always on-brand, always engrossing.

That, right there, is what we 'need'. If we didn't, we'd all sit at home watching Midsomer Murders or Coronation Street instead of travelling the length and breadth of the country in all weathers to regularly have our dreams dashed in the patient pursuit of those occasional 'I was there' moments.

If not for this sense of belonging and identity provided by those that are fortunate enough to represent us and our town(s), we'd no doubt all attend the odd Liverpool/Chelsea/Manchester City (delete as applicable) match, buy a half-and-half scarf and record every moment on our phones… No, me neither.

So in true Grimsby fashion, embrace the frustration. It defines us. It always has. It's what separates us from the mundane.

If you are heading to Milton Keynes (though no one from CA Towers will be going there. Ever. Ed), go in hope rather than expectation. Because we don't do expectation well. It doesn't suit us. I'm not sure it ever will. I'm not sure I ever want it to.

The past events and triumphs we recall with such joy, those we watch over and over again on YouTube with smiles on our faces and a tear in the eye - none of those came smoothly, none straightforward. Would we change them? Absolutely not.

So, as a couple of slightly ageing Mancuninan brothers once mentioned, don't look back in anger. Not to North Yorkshire, not to Burslem, not at what might have been. Because all of the above has landed us where we find ourselves today – with a chance of elevating ourselves to a higher level in an unexpected manner, the way we usually do it when creating those binge-watch moments that we'll talk about for years to come.

One final thing amid the equally split euphoria and dismay unfolding in front of us, today's VFTF diarist was delighted to see Jake Eastwood return to the starting line-up seven long months after that horrific incident at Carlisle. He looked like he hadn't been away. Calm, commanding and assured, he can count himself very unfortunate not to have left the Midlands victorious. Wouldn't it just be the Town way if the former Sheffield United shot-stopper had a starring role to play in the coming weeks.