Ahead of Saturday's game in North East Lincolnshire, we spoke to Mariners reporter James Findlater of the Grimsby Telegraph to discuss all things Grimsby...
- It has been a difficult season so far for Grimsby. What do you put this down to?
"Unfortunately, former boss Ian Holloway put too much faith in players who aren’t tried and tested at this level, and as a result the club have been left with a squad that is lacking in quality.
"In simple terms, there are nowhere near enough goals in the side. The fact that defender Mattie Pollock is top scorer this season tells you everything about Town’s problems in attack, and so far no solution has been found, although hopefully the signing of Stefan Payne may go some way to resolving the issue."
- Has the return of Paul Hurst lifted spirits?
"Certainly among the fans, who were left somewhat exasperated by the end of Ian Holloway’s reign and were crying out for a calm and steady hand to take charge.
"Supporters seem to have a lot more appreciation now for what Hurst did in his first spell in charge, given what they’ve witnessed since his departure.
"As of yet, he hasn’t managed to turn things around on the pitch, although he has such a big job on his hands that at this stage, I think fans will be happy just avoiding relegation in any manner."
- Given the situation with the table, do Grimsby see Saturday’s game as a ‘must-win’?
"I think fans will see this as a game that they need to – at the very least – get something out of, and given Town have only managed to get a single point out of games against Southend and Scunthorpe this month, a win is very much needed.
"For Hurst, the fact that there are plenty more games to go this season does offer some hope, but given both teams’ positions, it’s a game that they can’t really afford to lose."
- Who has been Grimsby’s stand-out player this season?
"This is a really tough one to answer. Honestly, there haven’t really been any standouts this season.
"Centre-backs Luke Waterfall and Mattie Pollock are perhaps the only players who can really hold their hands up and say they’ve had decent seasons so far, which perhaps tells you a lot about how things have been going.
"Jay Matete was perhaps the only player to come out of last weekend’s derby with some credit, having signed on loan from Fleetwood just a couple of days earlier, so hopefully we’ll see more of the same from him as the season progresses."
- Finally, what’s your score prediction for the game?
"Given Town’s form at the moment, it really is difficult to see where their next win is going to come from, or even the goals for that matter.
"With that in mind, I’m going to go for a goalless draw on Saturday – fingers crossed there’s at least some excitement in the game!"
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