Ian Holloway hails Grimsby togetherness after beating Colchester

Posted Wednesday, February 12, 2020 by PA

Ian Holloway saluted both hat-trick hero Charles Vernam and his Grimsby team after they secured an impressive 3-2 win at promotion-chasing Colchester.

Vernam scored a magnificent 69th-minute solo goal to seal the Mariners’ win, dancing past several players before squeezing a low shot past Dean Gerken.

Vernam had earlier twice equalised for Grimsby, making it 1-1 in the 21st minute with a right-foot shot from outside the box and levelling again in the 66th minute to cancel out goals by Luke Prosser and Theo Robinson.

Town manager Holloway said: “Chas (Vernam) has stolen the night with a wonderful, wonderful winning goal but it was the rest of it – everything else was fantastic so well done to our lads.

“Considering that was the first time that we’d played together, I thought some of the football was excellent.

“We made terrible mistakes and it cost us two goals.

“We didn’t clear our lines properly and I’ve just told them that there are times when you just have to kick it. From set-plays, we’ve normally been really good at that. We missed two clearances, it fell to them and they scored two.

“But I didn’t go mad at half-time. I knew I had to make changes because I wanted them to see the pace of it and be together.

“I made five or six changes, we train the same way and do the same things so I decided to share that out.”

Prosser had given Colchester a 17th-minute lead with a low shot and after Vernam cancelled it out, Robinson restored the hosts’ advantage in the 42nd minute.

Colchester boss John McGreal said: “It’s disappointing – we were in the lead at half-time and to throw that away in the second half was a bitter one to take.

“It’s a quiet enough dressing room as it is because they let themselves down individually, collectively and as a group.

“We got a good goal, conceded a poor one then got another good goal to get us the lead at half-time.

“We knew we needed a good start in the second half and we were comfortable.

“It’s definitely a foul (on Luke Prosser) for their second goal. He (James Hanson) has elbowed Luke and how the referee and the linesman haven’t seen it – but I have to be careful.

“It was 2-2 and we were pushing but we give the ball away high up in their defensive third and he (Charles Vernam) is allowed to run and score.

“We should be dealing with all three goals.”