Michael Jolley hails Grimsby efforts as fine October form continues

Posted Wednesday, October 24, 2018 by PA

Grimsby Town manager Michael Jolley was full of praise for his players after they continued their good form in October by beating Colchester United 1-0.

Wes Thomas grabbed the only goal of the game in the second half at Blundell Park as the Mariners made it three wins out of their last four league games.

It was a fourth league clean sheet in a row for the hosts – a far cry from the six-game losing streak that saw them drop into the League Two relegation zone in September.

But Jolley was eager to applaud his squad for the recent turnaround, which has seen them pick up 10 points out of a possible 12.

He said: “I think all the credit has to go to the players because it wasn’t that long ago that they were getting heavily criticised and they were on a difficult run.

“But they’ve bounced out of that by putting together quite a strong run themselves. It was a big win for us against one of the stronger teams in the division.

“I think we matched them overall and in the end I think we deserved to win.”

Jolley added: “Nothing dramatic’s changed. We work in a similar way and have done all the way through.

“I think having a healthier squad certainly helps, and having a settled line-up has definitely helped us.

“Because of not having so many injuries, we’ve not had to make as many changes to personnel, and everybody’s contributing.

The lads who come off the bench are all contributing, the starting eleven are all contributing – everyone’s playing their part in delivering good performances.

For Colchester boss John McGreal, it was an opportunity missed as his usually free-scoring side found themselves frustrated by their hosts.

“I thought we had enough chances really to win it,” McGreal said. “We probably weren’t clinical enough, but it’s only the second time this season that we haven’t scored.

“We created good chances, even in the first half. We knew they’d start really well, and I thought we had to weather their storm which I think we did.

“We were just a little tentative in the first half, and we were looking for a big start in the second half. It was pretty nip and tuck, but I just felt then we were gaining a little bit of the upper hand – not much, but just a little bit.

“We hit the crossbar when we should be scoring, and then we give a poor goal away. We made a couple of changes, and then we were just camped in their final third.

“It’s one that’s got away from us, I don’t think we should be losing that game, but I’ve got to give Grimsby credit.”