Cod Almighty | Diary

We're gonna win the cup one day — and I do genuinely believe that!

4 December 2025

I’m afraid a fire drill (and, if I’m honest, my actual day job) have denied you from enjoying more glorious December diary prose than what I’ve been able to cough up for you today — not that I had anything glorious lined up.

It’s been over a week since we last played and it ended with a punch below the belt. Football is emotional business, so that’s the feeling we’ve been left with. But to dwell only on that feeling is to fall into the trap of thinking the whole 90 minutes was as dire as that moment. While not brilliant, I thought we played on the front foot and were excellent in the second half. The concession at the end hurt, of course it did, but that doesn’t undo the fact that even without a couple of key players we were able to dominate possession, create chances, and make their ancient keeper earn every penny he was being paid.

In contrast, despite winning the game, Tranmere played like a side fully aware of its limitations. They depended almost entirely on organisation and a little fortune — neither of which is sustainable across an entire season at this level. I’d be surprised, nay horrified, if they finished above us in the table.

Your West Yorkshire diary isn’t sure whether Wealdstone is what we want or need at the moment. It feels like we have a few things to address in the league, but we don’t have the opportunity to do anything about it for now, so this cup game is a test of professionalism. It’s a game we’re expected to win, so there’s a bit of pressure on a team that hasn’t won in four and has fresh memories of losing this same fixture last season.

A big juicy third round tie at a Premier League team should be a big enough carrot to motivate the players and keep the fans engaged.