Grimsby Town 1 Stockport County 0 ( Football League 2) Sunday 1 January 2023

County`s impressive run of form took a bit of a jolt today as Grimsby Town came away with a 1-0 win at Blundell Park in a sometimes bruising encounter.

No team is ever immune from the possibility of defeat even on the crest of as impressive a wave of form as County have been, and if we learn from it, we will benefit in the long run.

Was the defeat down to the 2 changes that saw our settled back 3 with 2 fresh faces in it as MacDonald and Lewis came in for Ryan Johnson and Horsfall ? I thought the incomers did well so no opprobrium, in my view, should be aimed in their direction although it is entirely possible that having two- thirds of our settled and increasingly impressive back-line absent that our established rhythms would to some extent be undermined.

Add in that Paul Hurst`s side looked well up for it , and that a rather compliant performance from Mr Herczec the Referee tipped the balance our hosts way a time or three when it mattered, but then have a word with yourself and admit that sometimes you lose so you take it in as good a spirit as you can!

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There were 2 changes to the blues starting line up when the teams came out in front of over 6000 at Blundell Park today.

With Horsfall taking a knock late in the Walsall game his absence and replacement by Lewis was perhaps anticipated, but Ryan Johnson was named in the starting line up only for McDonald to step out on the left of our back 3, due to late injury I assume but I am happy to be corrected.

With play underway and Grimsby swarming forward like wasps around an open jam jar, Wright stepped up nicely where he left off on Thursday at the Bescott drawing waves of applause from the 700 + County following.

Khan came back at County shortly after and County`s attempted clearance was upturned by Mr H who gave Town a free kick.

A small frenzy ensued for a short while thereafter as the locals got over excited when their team got another free kick within a minute. I was cursing loudly at this but only until Khan slung a prodigiously bad kick out.

Grimsby looked well motivated if lacking in the nous to prize the County defence open and Lewis did well for County to rob McAtee as he looked to shoot. McAtee was back in County faces within a minute until Wright`s good work blocked him and had County supporters singing the County number 4`s name again.

The first hint of a meaningful response from County came 8 minutes in , but the neat flowing football earned no reward albeit it was good to see.

Amos meanwhile tried his best to hit the blues on the break but it was equally pleasing to note the response first of Bardsley and then Collar who joined him, as they ushered the forward into no mans land prior to the execution of a clearance.

Pressure from Grimsby continued with both Wright and Croasdale doing well to block McAtee .

The first 15 minutes had seen Town mostly attacking but without having reached Hinchliffe with a single shot.

But, the Mariners had another free kick that their M.O.M ( for me anyway) Waterfall hoisted into the box. Amos went for it finding MacDonald`s intervention too strong for him- again no shot on goal!

It was another 3 minutes before County sorted a response via Collar he was stopped comprehensively by Waterfall.

Then Grimsby`s pressure looked to maybe get somewhere as Holohan reached Amos at the back post with a lofted ball. It was a chance for sure, but one denied by Hinchliffe`s quick responses – his dive smothering the effort from Amos and brooking no argument.

It was high time for a reply by County but when it came via Bardsley`s free kick, Hippolyte could not penetrate the home cover, and the momentum for the blues subsided as Madden could not hit the target with his shot 27 minutes in.

Within a couple of minutes with County gently easing their way back from a diet of defending, it was time for more unkind thoughts aimed at Mr H who looked the other way as Hippolyte was felled in the box. Grimsby got a lift from that escape so much so that a half chance emerged for them almost immediately only for McAtee to scoop a lulu over the bar with 30 minutes gone.

County were quick to respond as Croasdale and Rydel fashioned the first of a couple of corners with some excellent work. The first was not Bardsley`s best but resulted in a 2^nd that was better and Max Crocombe looked in dire straits when this one landed in the box, so he would have been mightily relieved to hear the comforting `peep` of the referee`s whistle signal his difficulties were, at least for now, no more!

The last 5 minutes of first half normal time saw Mr H ignore Amos`s `dying swan` classic in the box at one end, and Bardsley narrowly fail to reach Madden with an incisive ball at the other.

A series of Town throws put County back in defensive mode next, and it was good to see Hinchliffe deal decisively with Smith`s header from the last of these.

Madden then went close with a rasping drive for County…Mc Atee was blocked neatly by Wright and Rydel as the home side counter attacked.

Three minutes added time did not change matters at all the teams going in at the break with the score still 0-0.

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The first couple of minutes of the 2^nd half saw County attacking and they got a boost when Maher`s foul on Madden ushered in a free kick in a fairly decent position, but MacDonald sent his kick down Crocombe`s throat, any notional chance was gone.

But the County pressure eventually subsided, and Grimsby scored. It was a well-documented County weakness namely defending incoming long throws that brought it on, and one such fizzed its way into County`s box where they were unable to clear their lines allowing Khan to score from close in.

Now, the support from the County contingent was impressive but I felt that, with County`s reshuffled back line under pressure it was entirely counterproductive to then start singing the `Fraser Horsfall` song/chant. The likes of Lewis deserved some encouragement this was sadly likely to have the reverse affect!

But County were looking to salvage this one , but when Madden latched onto the product of good work by Bardsley and Croasdale and won a corner it was dismaying to see the officials award a goal kick.

County kept the forward momentum going however, and a veritable frenzy again broke out at Crocombe`s end where he pulled off a good save to stop Hippolyte`s shot only for the ball to run on to Collar who missed his kick with the goal gaping. It was a County corner though, so hopes were high until Mr H intervened seeing ` a push` by Lewis on Waterfall.

Crocombe was busy after this making essential catches to deny Hippolyte and Bardsley.

We were beyond the hour now and eventually the Mariners were able to shake off their defensive shackles long enough to mount a raid on the County heartland. It came via Mc Atee but he was blocked by Mac Donald in the last third.

A corner ensued from this, and Smith shot over the bar which was as well after the liner had ignored blatant handball by Khan in the build up to the break.

Hippolyte again put the Mariners under the cosh next being blocked by McAtee who conceded a corner that saw Crocombe in action keeping County at bay and the creaking Town ship afloat.

Lewis headed over from a Rydel cross next before DC rang the personnel changes bringing Evans ,Sarcevic and Crankshaw on for Rydel, Croasdale and Bardsley with 20 minutes left.

The pressure continued from County with Wright heading over following good work by Evans and Crankshaw.

On, on it went- Hippolyte bringing a save out of Crocombe- a County free kick foiled by an improbable offside ruling by the far side liner.

It was building but we needed a cool head on the ball to turn all the possession into at least one goal!

Instead, we saw blue shirts queuing for a pot on goal that never materialised next after Evans and Crankshaw had again shown up well.

Grimsby defenders were going to ground with irritating regularity as the game reached and went beyond 80 minutes- the free kicks that invariably came thereafter were like gold to frazzled home defenders and a colossal bummer to 700 + on the away end.

But, looking for some change in the order of things it was disappointing to see a Mac Donald shot take a clear deflection off a defender and a goal kick be given, and worse as a poor clearance by Crocombe was latched onto by Wootton. He looked primed to shoot but before he could the liner flagged for something I have absolutely no idea what- I saw no foul, definitely no offside- I began to lose the will to live!

Into added time DC swapped Brown for Hippolyte as County upped the revs again in search of that equaliser.

Crankshaw won a corner with the home back-Iine reeling, but Wright`s header cleared the bar under pressure from Green.

Then Hinchliffe went long allowing Wootton to hustle a corner but Holohan and Waterfall saw any danger off for Town.

It went cut/ thrust in the few minutes that remained before it was time for the Grimsby team and the locals to celebrate the win as if it were a European Final or some such.

County got nothing from the game except perhaps useful information as they push on this season.

Cliché alert….

Every team loses- but it`s how they come back from same that shows their measure.

Does anyone doubt lessons will be learnt and the blues will come back stronger from this?

I rather think not!

See you next Sunday for Walsall and the FA Cup when County will be well rested!

Finally, a word of congrats to Ben Hinchliffe who clocked up his 300^th County appearance today- a fantastic achievement by a fantastic keeper!


300 Appearances for County- Ben Hinchliffe !

Grimsby Town line up :-Crocombe, Crete, Smith, Waterfall, Maher, Amos, Holohan, Green, Khan, McAtee ( Kiernan 76), Clifton ( Morris 94).

Subs not used: Richardson, Orsi, Glennon, Scannel,Hunt.

Stockport County line up:-

Hinchliffe, Wright, Lewis, MacDonald, Bardsley ( Crankshaw 71) , Rydel ( Evans 71), Croasdale ( Sarcevic 71), Hippolyte ( Brown 89), Collar, Madden, Wootton.

Subs not used: Jaros, C Johnson.

Attendance : 6490 ( 720)

hedgegrower

The above 2 images come from the phone camera of hedgegrower as do these 4 crowd shots-