Mariners boss pleased with Trophy progress

[FF News]

Grimsby Town boss Paul Hurst was pleased to see Town go one step closer to Wembley in the FA Trophy but admitted that the 3-0 scoreline was perhaps slightly flattering.

The Mariners made it through to the quarter finals of the competition with a 3-0 win over Havant and Waterlooville, and speaking after the game, the Town boss said that he was pleased with the response he received after half time.

He said: ''It probably flattered us a little bit in fairness to Lee's side, they had a few moments but we settled into the game pretty well and after that I wasn't really that pleased with what I was seeing in terms of how we were set up.

''We tried something a bit different and I thought initiall it was looking good but then particularly in the front areas, we weren't getting enough forward runs and everything was to feet.

''We lost our shape a bit so at half time I resorted back to a more traditional set up, with Jon Nolan slightly to the left.

''After that, it was a great strike to put us in front and then two good goals in fairness at the end in terms of bright play and a counter attack for the third one, where a lot lot of desire was shown to get forward.

Town played a narrow 4-4-2 diamond in the first half, which was something the players weren't accustomed to. Hurst admits that the performance was understandable but the side could've again done the basics right.

Speaking about what changed second half, Hurst explained: ''I think Craig Clay when he got booked, albeit a booking that I didn't particularly want him to get, showed his intent.

''We didn't win enough second balls and without making things too basic, you have to do that whether it's Premier League or Sunday League, that's something we talked about because you can't always have the ball and when you haven't got it, you've gotta make it difficult for the opposition.

''I felt we were giving them a little bit too much time on the ball, and second half we were better without reaching the heights but perhaps that is understandable with the amount of changes.''

As promised, Town made several changes, with perhaps the most notabl eof those being deadline day signing Evan Horwood coming in to make hs debut left-back, and Hurst seemed satisfied with his display overall.

''I thought he did okay, I think at times he showed he's comfortable on the ball, there's a bit of rustiness in there as well he'll be pelased to get the ninety minutes under his belt,'' said Hurst.

''Overall he looked pretty comfortable - there was one shout where I looked away for a second but when I looked back, it was clear he hadn't dealt with the ball as he'd have liked and there was a penalty shout so that was perhaps a moment he got away with, but overall he'll be pleased to have got a full 90 minutes under his belt.

Asked if there was any more news on the signings front, Hurst replied: ''Not really, that'll open again next week.''

''As I've said at times before, I'll have a look at what's been going on at the clubs that have played this weekend, see if the situation has changed and if that opens any doors for us.''

Source: www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk

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