Game 14 - The Mariners (A)

Team: Grimsby Town

Date: 30/10/2021

Where: Blundell Park

What line-up should Ian Burchnall opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

Ideally a trip to Grimsby would be on a sunny afternoon in August, instead it's a Saturday in October, which is better than a Tuesday night in January. Anyway, I digress. Grimsby are top of the table. They had a bad loss at Wealdstone on Tuesday, but they will be more than happy with their progress up to now. Notts probably should have beaten Bromley on Tuesday but had to settle for a point which wasn't too bad given the other results in the division. Grimsby are 7 points ahead of us, so it really is a 6 pointer. This will be one of our toughest games all season I reckon. I don't think Notts will lose. I'll go for 1-1. 

Another big crowd which in a weird way probably suits us at the minute. And it’s likely both of Grimsby’s main strikers/attackers McAtee (6 goals) and Taylor (5 goals) are out so it’ll be as good a time as ever to play them.

They play a 4-2-3-1/4-4-1-1 so I think sticking with the 3-5-2 will be of use. This is from their paper about Grimsby’s midfield after the Wealdstone game: “Wealdstone had an extra man in there and it was evident as they popped the ball around and picked up pockets of space with ease”. And our 3 centre backs could easily pass the ball out by the sounds of it, this is on their striker, John-Lewis: “Held the ball up well at times but struggled to press Wealdstone's defenders as they played the ball out of the back.”

Only problem we have now is, where do you play Roberts in a 3-5-2? ????‍♂️ He’s just not someone who I think fits in a midfield 3…

Overall I’d be happy with a draw considering their home form.

It's a big game, a lot our fans are up for the game - it's almost a full on Derby type match. With their current position, Notts needs to turn up and, make a real game of it.

I'm slightly nervous, as I can see Grimsby either being a well oiled team that makes us struggle or, allow the game to be extremely scrappy and I'm just not sure we'll handle the occasion well.

I hope I'm wrong, but I can see the game finishing 3-1 to them.

If we prove ourselves to be determined, it might be a closer draw. I don't expect a win, it would be nice and useful. Yet, despite it being a game that's crucial, one we should on paper being winning. I think momentum is slowly building and preserving a point seems better than nothing to me.

Got to be happy with that result

And that's why you never leave a match early. 

It's usually Notts that suffer late goals 

7 from 9. Terrific response, in a week that could’ve seen us really lose ground we’re now 5 points off the top and with so many games still to go we just need to be in and around there.

That was never going to be a 2-0 walk-over kind of game, yes attacking performance not the best but we know what we are capable of on our day. It’s a massive plus to see the defensive side of us look so much more assured recently. Think the stat is that we’ve not lost a game with Cameron and Rawlinson in the side. Long may that continue!

We've got 7 from 9 against fancied opposition, now we need to do same against lesser teams.

It was important that we didn't lose that game. 3 points is the icing on the cake. 

Excellent win against my second team. Looking at comments made by home and away supporters, I think they could well end up being the team to beat in the league this year as they were missing several players. 

Our recent upturn in form has so much to do with the Rawlinson and Cameron (especially Cameron) partnership and just shows what we were missing against Woking Halifax and Altrincham. Frustrating as we could be top of the table if they hadn't got injured, or we had signed an experienced loanee to play alongside Lacey.