Cod Almighty | Diary

Bring me sunshine, Charles

8 August 2025

"Erm... yeah... mebbe..." said DA carefully in his pre-match interview when asked about players returning for tomorrow's game at Harrogate. He kept his answers vague so as to maintain "competitive advantage", as if the Sulphurites were going to change their game plan depending on whether or not Danny Rose is picked. Those posh-Yorkshire hoofers will play their game whatever we do, and we'll see if we struggle to cope with their solid defence and set piece bombardment.

Your A46 Diary is looking forward to tomorrow's test as a handy yard stick to measure against last season's capitulation. Can we stand up to the counterattack for 100+ minutes? It will be a different game to last week as, while Crawley very kindly allowed us to play however we pleased, filling our boots even as we pressed them into their throats, Harrogate will not allow us space in their third.

McJannet's ability to, as he claims, get into the right areas and make a lot of first contacts will be needed, as will the efforts of all to do the hard work to grind down a tough side. So, we'll also be looking to Tharme, obviously, and Green, all of whom seem top magnets for that first contact but struggle to find the net with any reassuring regularity. Harvey 'the Nosebleed' Rogers should have something to say about that as well, although he may find it difficult to get forward as much as last week, not least because his pace in getting back may be found wanting as the likes of Mason Bennet and Reece Smith will be charging him down.

Last week, McEachran did a great job of covering the right, slipping and sliding around the angle of the area like a figure skater and cleaning up any loose balls or lingering opposition pressure. That won't work in the same way if we've got most of the possession tomorrow as the midfielder will more than likely find himself higher up the pitch for longer spells. It may be that Khouri, with his pace and seemingly limitless energy will be the one who tracks back most often. Or I'm wrong and McEachran will be anchored to the back two of Tharme and McJannet and the full-backs will be the ones spending time in the opposition half. I look forward to Rogers's nosebleed, if so.

All of this means a lot of pressure on the front three tomorrow as we all now expect a victory. That's the thing with progress, once it becomes clear it becomes demanded. On the right, Burns looks a new player and his tricky feet could unlock a stiff Harrogate defence. Link-ups with Green will be essential and the Nosebleed will play a role too. Green's game will be different, much more claustrophobic, and we'll need him to dig out some of those impossi-passes that he so deftly manages with the outside of his right boot. Or he could just smack it in from 60 yards. That'd be nice.

Through the middle, we have our new hero. Kabia's pace will be less effective in a higher possession game, but his annoyance will be invaluable. Crawley's defence couldn't cope with him and he should've had more free kicks than he did. I imagine he likes a little word in the ear of the CB brutes as well, so keep an eye out for some fireworks as he plays havoc with the yellow defenders.

And on the left, it's everyone's favourite talking point, the bitter-sweet conundrum that is Charles Vernam. He's our unreliable weather app, always more optimistic than accurate, too often promising sunshine even while the wind and rain batter the windows, but he's still the one we look to when we need a trick or a pass or a shot that could break a deadlock. On our little strip of the back row in the Pontoon, he's very much Marmite, with every drop of rain crowed over by the haters and every ray of sunshine celebrated by the lovers. All performative, of course, a game within a game as we try to outdo each other with criticisms and compliments of our favourite footballing enigma. I'm in the sunshine camp.

Last week, the lovely folk at CA posted my Diary with the label 'giddy', and Vernam is the player most likely to keep that giddiness going. Tomorrow (don't say in the last game before his next injury!), I expect nothing but messianic glories as he forms those beautiful triangles with Sweeney and Khouri around a dumbfounded Cass and sweeps us to our first victory at Wetherby Road.

So... erm... yeah, Harrogate will be Harrogate and Vernam will be Vernam, so, erm... yeah... mebbe competitive advantage will pay off and Danny Rose will be fit after all and we'll look for him to perform his dark arts and get us those three points. Whatever way they come is fine by me.

One last note on Ben Fox: let's give him the respect that we gave Holohan last week; he's one of the Class of 22 and every one of those guys will always be one of ours.