Two Steps Back

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 24/01/2021

TOWN reached a new low after a demoralising defeat to Scunthorpe. In a familiar story, the Mariners conceded an early goal and went into the break 2-0 down. Things improved slightly after the break when the onus was on Grimsby, by Scunny put the match to bed with a third.

With just a few days left of the transfer window and another relegation six-pointer on Tuesday (to Michael Jolley's Barrow) Town desperately need something positive to lift them from their malaise.

The only positive from the game came from the return of James Hanson to the starting line-up and he's expected to feature again in the match in Cumbria.

New signings Rollin Menayese and Jay Matete started in defence and midfield respectively, with Hanson being the third change from the side which draw with Southend.

There wasn't much to choose between the teams in the early stages but, as so often this season, the opposition scored early and took the initiative when Eisa scored with a tremendous free-kick that gave McKeown no chance.

The home side added a second from another free-kick just after the half-hour mark. Town's defence had chances to clear it but stood and watched as Loft squeezed in to see the ball creep over the line.

Scunthorpe should have gone 3-0 just before the break when Green was played through clean on goal but McKeown did well to block the shot and give Town a glimmer of hope.

Hurst didn't delay making changes and effected a triple substitution after the break bringing on Rose, Williams and Spokes for Hewitt, Preston and Wright.

Scunthorpe just had to defend their lead against Grimsby's goal-shy attack and try and hit Town on the break. They did just that when this time Eisa was played through and slid the ball past McKeown for his second.

Grimsby were now just playing for pride and heads went down as the remainder of the game was played out, with the ref prolonging the agony with 7 minutes of injury time.

Town need answers and they need them quickly if they are not going to get sucked into the bottom two permanently. Mathematically there is plenty of games at stake but Town's current form is so dismal and the squad so devoid of confidence and still weak in areas that it's hard to see anything but a failure to complete the National League saving them. However, the unpredictability of football always means there is the possibility of the tide turning in our favour.

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