Tomorrow Begins The Mariners Toughest Test!

By: Bill Osborne
Date: 16/11/2001

LENNIE LAWRENCE said his young Grimsby Town side must pass their stiffest test of the season if they are to stay out of the bottom three over the next month with Millwall, Burnley, Manchester City and Wolves to face over the next few weeks, in addition to the cup tie with Arsenal. He is not wrong!

This will probably be the toughest test that the Mariners will have to pass all season and picking up 4 or more points from those fixtures would be something to sing about. Tough opponents and tough times ahead.

Talking to the Grimsby Telegraph about the upcoming fixtures Lawrence said: "We are in a very difficult period, no question about it, but at least we've got a couple of decent performances in the last four games to take into it,"

"There's enough experience in it if they're available. They're in their early 20s and they've enough experience, skill and spirit. It's whether they've got enough strength mentally and physically.

"We have to get a result against Millwall, then go to Burnley and get another one."

"The same for Man City and Wolves and if we draw all four games it would be brilliant. That would keep us afloat.

"If we lose them all, or only draw a couple then we're going to very lucky to be out of the bottom three."

"The demands of this division are unrelenting and it's never easy. The so-called easy games we lost and it's never anything less than extremely difficult."

"We're facing adversity tomorrow and in the next month. But if we've got most of our bodies fit then we'll take anybody on."

"The adversity comes when they have to play through pain or when there's nobody else available. Whether they can overcome that is going to be a key factor."

"We've got to overcome the physical and mental barriers of that, starting tomorrow."

Jevons is almost certainly to miss tomorrow's game being replaced by Marlon Broomes despite him having a knee injury that has bothered him over the last few weeks.

"Marlon's got a knee problem but he's had it for a while," said Lawrence "He does well to get through games but once the adrenaline kicks in it seems to take him through. I'm not easy with that but he says he's not bothered about it, so he looks likely to play."

Stacy Coldicott is a certainty not to play and Tony Gallimore, and Stuart Campbell will be having late fitness tests but have been included in the possible lineup.

Grimsby Town from: Coyne, Butterfield, Gallimore, Groves, Broomes, Campbell, Pouton, Willems, Boulding, Allen, Rowan, Croudson, Raven, Burnett, Chapman, Thompson, Bolder.

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