The Diary

Cod Almighty | Diary

Sweet times

27 January 2026

Town head to Colchester tonight seeking three points and the secondary, but closely linked, objective of a sixth consecutive clean sheet. The latter is a feat managed just once in club history; Allenby Chilton's 1955-56 side applied an extra coat of polish to the Division 3 North trophy by keeping the opposition scoreless for the final eight games of the season.

Without the time to research the actual fan sentiment of the time, Daubney Diary estimates the title win elevated the Grimsby Happiness Index to a post-war high of 3.6 out of 10, a rating tempered by the Division 3 opposition being "bloody rubbish" and "northern gits", and murmurs that to compete next season we'll need to "get better in".

Daubney doesn't want to suggest that present-day Town fans are as difficult to please. There's a risk however that some might choose to overlook once in a generation stuff, like five clean sheets in row for the first time since 1997, because to do otherwise might make them look like tits for wanting the entire defence to be chopped up for firewood just a few weeks ago.

One of the main problems in the defence has been Harvey Rodgers. Why does he keep playing so well, the not-useless git. Can't he just tread on the ball or shank a few into his own net to stop making so many fans sound like they haven't the slightest fucking clue what they're talking about? 

Rodgers is an example of a player people should love, if not for skill, for his attitude. He's selected in a position he possibly wouldn't pick for himself, but he throws himself into it week in, week out. His strong performances have outweighed the odd comic failing which, in our anti-Premier League reality, only add to the everyman charm.

My own view is that Harvey's biggest problem is his name. No one has taken the moniker seriously since the 1970s when Harvey Smith linked it forever with tight riding pants and funny little hats. The other problem is our Harvey's approachable-teen-hearthrob-on-the-cover-of-a-1987-Smash-Hits looks. If he changed his name to Brian Bloodaxe or Johnny Murder, lost a few teeth and frowned a bit, no one would dare boo him. Fact. Until then he is destined to be the worst player since Bobby Mitchell to be ever-present in a promotion side and earn Player of the Season votes.

Anyway, back to tonight. The recent four match winning streak has contained a lot of "hard watches". Whilst yearning for the early season fluency, is that realistic on windy, rainswept winter pitches against division four cloggers with pointy elbows and division four refs? Did I mention it's division four?

If I put my rose-tinted shades on, I could say Alan Buckley managed it. Truthfully, Alan Buckley's teams always tried to play football and when they did it was the most incredible sight. But it didn't always happen or he'd still be in charge and we'd have won ten European Cups by now. What Buckley's Aces did manage was a 7-game winning streak in March 1990. We haven't manage to win more than four in row in the league since then. Here's hoping tonight will be another hard watch that sets another once-in-a-generation record.

Finally, Harry Pell has packed it in, his hilariously stupid sending off at Blundell Park a fitting last act as a league footballer. That replaced his previous BP highlight, getting bossed by Little Harry despite having a six inch height advantage when playing for tonight's opponents Colchester in 2018. And here it is. See ya.