County 1 Grimsby 2. Grim times?

Full-time at Edgeley Park. Gutted. Frustrated.

County go down to another home defeat, this time 1-2 to Grimsby Town. A most disappointing result especially after the optimism of half time.

County lined up;

O’Donnell, Halls, Newton, Tunnicliffe, Fagbola, Kenyon, Schofield, Bullock, Whitehead, Cullen, Macken.

No much punch there. Macken, and his 172 year old legs, looks to be our main threat but maybe two games in close succession proved to much as his contribution was not up to recent games as I saw it.

Cullen tries hard. Oh for Hattersley and Hobson! County looked a decent side in the first half and hit the woodwork and had quite a few chances. I think I read 13 goals attempts to 1 over those first 45 minutes, but the score remained 0-0 at the break.

Would we be punished for those missed chances? We didn’t have to wait long to find out as Hannah after 48 mins (great strike) and then Hatton 57 from a free-kick (another porous County wall – how many
times this season!) made the sluggish second-half County pay.

Alex Kenyon replied after 61 (I thought he had a decent game) and despite the crowd roaring the boys on I had that all too familiar this season sinking feeling. To compound matters Nolan (on for the tired looking Whitehead) showing flashes of skill and petulance got involved with a Grimsby player (got a yellow and could have been a red) and in the ensuing handbags Andy Halls threw his weight into the scuffle and rightly got a straight red. He misses the next three games, meaning he can only play a part at Kidderminsters in the last game of the season. This single act of madness may be the final nail in County’s coffin this season.

This is a team with little goals in it. If we are to stay up we are going to have to keep clean sheets you would think.

It could have been worse though, a few results went our way but I still think we need 7 points from;

Alfreton (a) this Saturday
Dartford (H) the Saturday after
Gateshead (a) the following Tuesday
Kidderminster (a) on Saturday 20th.

Alfreton – we would do well to get a point there.
Dartford – this is a MUST WIN game surely. The Blue and White army need to turn up in force.
Gateshead, again, do well to get a point.

And that leaves Kiddy away. Oh.

Tomorrow we have Barrow v Ebbsfleet and Braintree v Southport.

We may have to win at Alfreton or Gateshead to survive then! Can you hear the trap door creaking open for County? Or do you believe Ian Bogie can work some magic?

No so much Animo et fide, more terror et ira

Grim


Cropped.