Cod Almighty | Diary

I'll see you in my dreams

23 February 2026

Miss Guest Diary writes: Well, the unbeaten run had to end sometime. To go 10 games without losing is pretty good going down here in the fourth division; no one in their right mind would expect Town to emulate Arsenal or Liverpool. And if we had to lose, the consolation is that it might keep Bristol Rovers up at the expense of Newport (went there once, never again) and Harrogate (easy journey, horrible ground).

Not that I felt the need for any consolation. The game for me was an opportunity to meet up with the Irish Mariners, some of whom I haven't seen since the ManU game in August. A morning filled with catching up, crazy golf and cake in M&S café, followed by an Andy Cook goal was enough to make the journey worthwhile. A win would have been nice, but wasn't really expected.

Mr B had warned me that when winning runs end they often do so in spectacular defeat and being 2-0 down after seven minutes had me fearful of a proper trouncing. As it turned out Town were pretty good for the rest of the first half and there was optimism in our group that we might actually win, or at least draw. But after about an hour it became clear that our team just didn't have it in them physically; some of the players looked worn out. It's not surprising that playing three games in six days in wet and muddy conditions took its toll on McJannet and Rodgers who have played nearly every minute of every game, and 35-year-old Andy Cook coming back from a serious injury.

I do not blame Artell or the players for Saturday's defeat, unlike a few idiots in the crowd booing and gesticulating at them after the final whistle. Some people delude themselves into thinking that they have a god-given right to see Town win every game, and when we lose they need someone to blame.

When ask by Matt Dean in his post-match interview why Town had lost, Artell referred several times to playing three games in six days. I'm sure I'm not the only person wondering why the club agreed to play Walsall last Wednesday. It seems they had no choice. A quick squint at the EFL regulations revealed that, when a team is required to play a Sunday match before a scheduled Tuesday night game then that game "shall automatically be rescheduled to take place on the immediately following Wednesday".

Bad luck for us, and annoying for those counting on beating a team sitting near the bottom of the table to bolster Town's play-off hopes. Don't worry – as we like to say in CA Towers: the season doesn't start till March. So it's onwards to Notts County next Saturday. What's that you say? They won their last home game 5-0. Oh well, I'm sure a week on the training pitch practising defending set pieces will work wonders. I've also done you all a favour by letting someone else have my match ticket, just as I did for the play-off game in 2022.

UTM