IT would be easy to be smug about Grimsby Town's second victory over Tamworth of the season – especially after another "cheap dig" came out of Staffordshire last week.
Following the Mariners' 3-1 win over the Lambs in September, Tamworth Herald reporter Chris Philpotts labelled Blundell Park the most depressing ground he has ever visited – adding that Town show no desire to get out of the Conference.
And in the build-up to the reverse fixture, his colleague, Barrie Farnsworth – a former Grimsby Telegraph man – decided to add to the criticism of the football club and town with another provocative blog.
This time, the Grimsby-bashing revolved around such 'relevant' issues as the town having "the highest percentage of terraced houses of any British town," and "until very recently having the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe."
According to Farnsworth in his piece entitled 'I'd rather stroll around the Castle Grounds than the fish docks', Blundell Park is "much like the town: it's big, it offers views of Hull on a good day and it's past its best."
He added: "Football clubs are, more often than not, symbols of the relative status of towns and cities... and both Grimsby and the Mariners have seen better days."
Farnsworth goes on to admit his surprise that people, on average, live longer in Grimsby than those in the utopia that is Tamworth.
The relevance of all this ahead of a Conference football match escapes me – and a quick look at the current league table appears of more interest to both clubs, who could be two divisions apart next season.
It would be simple to hit back with an equally cheap shot at the 4,000-capacity Lamb Ground.
However, the welcome we received on Saturday and banter we enjoyed with the home support would make that undeserved.
The facilities were far from plush, but this is the Conference after all and there are far worse on offer at this level.
Town's 500+ travelling support certainly enjoyed their afternoon. As the far smaller contingent from Staffordshire who were applauded for making the trip to Cleethorpes in September will testify, that warm welcome also comes at Blundell Park.
It wasn't the warmest of afternoons in North East Lincolnshire, temperature-wise, but the travelling Lambs could have taken the opportunity to visit the beach – a rare treat for them indeed.
Grimsby may not have a castle nearby either – apart from Ross Castle in Cleethorpes. But it is far, far closer to having a Football League club, which is of more interest when the two clubs meet on the pitch.
Also Mr Farnsworth, the town does have a John-Lewis – he plays up front and has helped his team collect six points off Tamworth this season!
See below for Barrie Farnsworth's blog in full.'I'd rather stroll around the castle grounds'Barrie Farnsworth, Tamworth Herald Journalist YOU may recall a "war of words" – as we hacks like to call "a difference of opinion" – between Tamworth and Grimsby a few weeks ago after my Herald colleague Chris Philpotts called the Grimsby Town soccer stadium a "depressing place". Now, it struck me that I might be the only person on the planet lucky enough to have worked on both the newspapers involved and to know both towns well. (In fact, I am truly blessed as I have also worked in Scunthorpe, Chesterfield and Stoke). In which case, I am (probably) uniquely qualified to pass judgement on both towns... and I would hate to miss the opportunity to offer what will undoubtedly be labelled a "cheap dig" at my former home nestling on the banks of the River Humber. Let's start with the positives: Grimsby has the highest percentage of terraced houses of any British town and it also (until very recently) had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. I don't think the two are related... but it does (as we wordsmiths say) "give you a flavour" of the place. Its football ground, Blundell Park – which as all sports quiz fans know, was once the only stadium not in its "home town" (it is in Cleethorpes next door) – is much like the town: it's big, it offers views of Hull on a good day and it's past its best. It's also the coldest place on the planet when an easterly wind blows unhindered all the way from Siberia during a Tuesday night match in February. Football clubs are, more often than not, symbols of the relative status of towns and cities... and both Grimsby and the Mariners have seen better days. Tamworth, of course, has also seen better days – notably as the capital of Mercia many, many centuries ago. It is growing (as Grimsby contracts)... although amazingly (despite the Siberian winds), people live longer on average in Grimsby than they do in Tamworth. Still, it's quality not quantity that counts – and give me a walk through the castle grounds any day to a stroll around what used to be the busiest fish docks in the world. And as my missus keeps reminding me, Grimsby has not even got a John Lewis, let alone a castle. It may not seem like it, but I'm not taking sides – I'm a lifelong fan of my home-town club, Chesterfield FC. I'm not taking sides about the respective newspapers, either, for the very best of reasons. I have worked in many, many newsrooms and I know that the Grimsby Telegraph is one of the nation's best dailies – and the Herald is one of the finest weeklies. And as newspapers, like football clubs, are also symbols of their communities, then perhaps both places still have plenty going for them!
