Cod Widow of the Week

Fishy:
Tell us a bit about yourself.

Margie:
I am an Occupational Health Nurse and Jeremy is an Instructional Officer in the MOD, something to do with Aircraft delivered weapon systems I think, we have been married 23 years and have two children. We live in Telford, Shropshire.

Fishy:
Do you support Town yourself, perhaps another club, or do you have no interest in football?

Margie:
I have to support 'The Town', I used to watch Telford Utd as a child, so you can say I do like football, I also used to play myself, and of course I have watched Jeremy play when he was younger.

Fishy:
Has your partner ever taken you to a game, when, and what do you think of it?

Margie:
Jeremy has had to look in one of his books for this! We travelled over from Germany on the ferry (where we met, I was an RAF nurse then) to watch a midweek game in Gillingham, 1976, Nov 2nd, the score was 1-1. I must have been mad.

Fishy:
How big a part do GTFC play in Jeremy's life?

Margie:
Too big a part, thank God we live in Telford and not in Grimsby, he's not even from Grimsby you know, he's from Sutton-On-Sea.

Fishy:
Would you rank Jeremy's interest in the Mariners as obsessive, fanatical, healthy, moderate, or occasional?

Margie:
Obsessive bordering on the Over Obsessive.

Fishy:
How often a week do you think Jeremy thinks of something related to the Mariners?

Margie:
That's a hard one, most likely hourly! so that's 24x7, lots!

Fishy:
Who has the deciding vote when there's a football match on TV that clashes with something you want to watch?

Margie:
To be fair it's 50/50.

Margie and Jeremy Baily

Fishy:
What do you do when a Town game is taking place?

Margie:
If he hasn't taken me to the game or he isn't glued to ceefax, I just do normal things, but I always check the score.

Fishy:
How often does Jeremy wear a Town shirt in a typical week?

Margie:
In 1976, when I met him in a German disco, he had a Black and White football shirt on, it was not at all common in those days. He now owns 6 Grimsby shirts, all different. Jeremy plays badminton and squash in his Grimsby shirts, so the answer is 5 or six times, plus match days.

Fishy:
Does Jeremy read the newspaper from the front or the back?

Margie:
Back to Front.

Fishy:
Is it just Grimsby Town, or does Jeremy have other sporting teams or individuals they are passionate about?

Margie:
Anything England are playing, from Rugby to Conkers, apart from that, just Grimsby Town, but he enjoys watching Telford sometimes and when their new stadium is built, Grimsby could well lose out a bit (The best real ale pub in town is almost next to the ground, it's not just the football he goes for).

Fishy:
How long after meeting Jeremy did he first mention the Mariners?

Margie:
It was my fault, the first thing I asked him was "Why are you wearing a football shirt?"

Fishy:
Is Jeremy ever devious about going to matches?

Margie:
Yes! We had been back in the country two weeks after three years in Berlin, living in Telford. He asked me if I'd fancy shopping somewhere different next Saturday, he took me to Halifax, we were on the M62 before I realised what he was up to! I though we were going to Manchester. He even booked a family holiday in Brixham, Devon, somewhere " I've always wanted to go, since I was a schoolboy", Grimsby just happened to be playing Plymouth while we were down there.

Fishy:
What do your friends think of Jeremy's Town antics?

Margie:
Most can't believe I go with Jeremy to most matches, others ask how much it all costs (two Wembley weekends in London etc) and why he can't just stay at home and watch games on TV like their husbands.

Margie Baily