Poor Beyond Belief

By: Robert Salt
Date: 21/10/2006

THE MARINERS entertained a Notts County side with four former Town players in their starting line-up, however it was the team from Nottingham that had the last laugh against a very poor Grimsby Town.

With Ravenhill suspended Town started with Danny Boshell in midfield. There was also a starting place for Peter Bore on the left whilst youngster Nick Hegarty started on the bench.

The match started very quickly and within the first few minutes Barnes had to produce an excellent save diving to his left to deny a Notts County attack. Shortly afterwards at the other end the Notts County keeper had to produce a smart save from a Town corner when Nick Fenton smashed a half volley destined for the roof of the net.

However it wasn't long before we noticed how whistle happy the ref was. Most of the rest of the first half was very stop-start with offsides and fouls for both teams being given very regularly.

Notts County, who were sixth in the league, were not looking a particularly good team. However Town were looking and playing like a complete set of strangers, many passes and through balls were way off target and time and time again both 'keepers seemed destined just to keep kicking the ball to one another.

Despite a couple of long range efforts from both teams that were comfortably held by the 'keepers, the first half could not come to an end quick enough.

At the beginning of the second half Thorpe seemed to have an easy chance on the half volley but somehow knocked it over. Fenton also had a decent header and another half volley sailed just over but the second half seemed to be going just like the first.

With so many ex-Town players it was inevitable that one of them was going to score against us seeing as we cannot keep a clean sheet and have one of the worst goals conceded record in this division. And so it was, a decent deep curling right wing cross was met at full speed by Junior Mendes and his diving header flew into the bottom corner. Why could he not finish like that when playing for us?!!

Shortly afterwards another right wing cross found another ex-Town player Jason Lee who also headed home from virtually the same place as Mendes.

The only thing Town fans could cheer about was an Andy Parkinson attack when he fell over the ball and Town collected it and ran forward, but our attack came to nothing.

In short Town were awful in every department, against a poor Notts County team. There was no passion, no confidence, no belief in the team, nobody seemed to know what tactics we were playing and we were far too predictable. No words of wisdom either from the sidelines from our so-called manager.

I have supported Town for 20 years and we have to realise that we are in a relegation battle and that the thought of dropping down to the Conference this season is real. We are not going to get promoted or get in the play-offs. We have to hope for third from bottom and for a team like Grimsby Town, compared to last season, that just is nowhere good enough.

Man of Match: Nobody, therefore it’s given to Mighty Mariner for constantly trying to keep fans hopeful.

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