An opening day defeat to Kidderminster Harriers was hardly the best way to start their season, and tonight York City will be aiming to do much better when travelling to Blue Square Premier newcomers Grimsby Town, who were relegated from the Football League at the end of last term.
The Mariners started out non-league life with a weekend 1-0 victory at big summer spenders Crawley Town, although their manager and ex-York striker Neil Woods wasn’t especially happy with the manner of their performance.
And the same could be said of his Minstermen counterpart Martin Foyle, who was himself forced to witness silly defensive errors, a number of missed chances and even a couple of his own players squabbling between themselves during a hugely disappointing 2-1 defeat to Kidderminster at Bootham Crescent.
But there were still some positives to take despite that. James Meredith continues to appear a fine prospect on the left-hand side of their defence, while midfielder Alex Lawless still resembles a class act at this level. Former Mariner Peter Till also looked bright during an enforced early appearance from the bench.
Vital Quotes:
“Looking at the performance of the team and individuals on Saturday, we know we need to do better,” Grimsby manager Neil Woods told the Grimsby Telegraph. “We’ll always take a win but there wasn’t enough quality with the ball and we have a long way to go. We need to improve tonight and the players know that themselves to be fair. This will be another tough test because York went close to promotion last season and play some good football under Martin Foyle – despite defeat in their first game. Martin is a personal friend of mine who I’ve known for many years and he has done exceptionally well after inheriting a tough task. His team will be organised and play good football and he has two good strikers who score plenty of goals.”
“We didn`t start well against Kidderminster and they were a lot brighter. Then, it all seemed to go a bit wrong,” York midfielder Levi Mackin told The Press. “The only way you can get over a game like that is to work as hard as you can. We will also need to start the match a lot better because it will be a tough game with them having just been relegated. They will have a few fans behind them as well, so it`s even more important to start well to try and frustrate them.”
Grimsby Town Team News:
Bradley Wood is a serious injury concern for the Mariners after collecting a knock to his ankle at Crawley. He did train yesterday but is still a doubt, while second-choice goalkeeper Nick Colgan has a sore elbow. Definitely ruled out are defender Rob Atkinson (hernia) and recent signings Charles Ademeno (hamstring) and Lewis Gobern (thigh).
Grimsby Town (probable): Arthur, Wood, Ridley, Kempson, Watt, Bore, Coulson, Hudson, Leary, Connell, Peacock
subs: Cummins, Garner, Eagle, Samuels, Dixon
Player to watch: Alan Connell
Former Bournemouth striker from whom Mariners fans are expecting big things.
York City Team News:
Former Grimsby winger Peter Till could be handed a full debut for York after Levi Mackin was ruled out with possible medial knee ligament damage. That would allow Alex Lawless to continue in a far more suitable central midfield role. However, another option could see Neil Barrett recalled after missing out at the weekend. Defender Greg Young is again likely to be unavailable, while Duane Courtney should once more make the bench.
York City (probable): Ingham, Parslow, McGurk, Sangare, Meredith, Till, Lawless, Smith, Carruthers, Gash, Brodie
subs: Courtney, Barrett, Rankine, Purcell, Knight
Player to watch: Alex Lawless
Always a potential match-winner for York if he is played in the middle rather than being cast adrift out wide.
Match Facts & Stats
The Minstermen have won twice and drawn four times in nineteen previous Football League trips to Blundell Park. But it is the first time in thirteen years that York have visited.
Next Fixtures:
Grimsby – Hayes & Yeading (H); York – Bath City (A)
