Grimsby boss Ian Holloway accuses Forest Green of bad sportsmanship

Posted Wednesday, October 28, 2020 by PA

Incensed Grimsby boss Ian Holloway accused Mark Cooper’s Forest Green of bad sportsmanship as his side fell to a 1-0 defeat.

Forest Green teenage striker Jake Young’s first-half goal was enough to see Rovers jump to third in the Sky Bet League Two table, but Holloway felt the dark arts were at play.

He raged: “Where did the balls go? That’s all I can say.

“First half, all the balls were out there, they get them back really quickly. When they’re 1-0 up and it’s changed, the stewards are putting the ball in the corner so we can’t get them. What’s all that about then?

“They’re a very good team, but what I’m saying is, how can that be right? Is that how you win is it? At all costs, make sure it takes ages to get the ball back?

“I’m very proud of our performance tonight, because they’re a very good team. They scored a goal, but we should have more than equalised, and we had a lot more possession than them.

“You could say they were hanging on – I don’t think so. I think we outplayed them, but we lost.

“For my team, I’m delighted with that, but what I’m saying to the referee is how many times did we have to go and get the ball? It’s a lot more than three minutes at the end there.

“That’s not very nice, I don’t like that, and that’s not sportsmanship is it?

“And where is football these days? Where is it all? We have an example to set – sport is sport, it’s not business yet until it runs out of money, and then hopefully the government will help everybody get some money in it.

“But I’m telling you, sport is sport, and at this minute everybody can hear every word we’re saying. We should be very proud of how we do things as a group here.”

Cooper dismissed Holloway’s impassioned rant that his team were time-wasting with balls out of play being returned slowly, he said: “We kept kicking the balls out of the ground tonight, which isn’t like us – it wasn’t tactical.”

However, Cooper heaped praise on the Mariners.

He said: “I thought Oliie’s team were good tonight, they rotated and moved the ball well and they will get points.”

Rovers nosed ahead after 24 minutes when Nicky Cadden fed Liam Kitching to pick out Young, who finished clinically inside the box.

Earlier, the game opened in frenetic fashion – Cadden drilling a shot into James McKeown and former Grimsby striker Jamille Matt nodding over for Rovers.

Matt had a goal chalked off for offside as Rovers continued to dominate.

James Tilley conjured a late first-half opening for West Brom loanee Owen Windsor, but Kitching blocked his strike.

Grimsby were quickly out of the blocks in the second half, with Tilley watching his close-range strike beaten down by Luke McGee as Jamie Pollock’s cross opened Rovers up.

Odin Bailey should have put Forest Green 2-0 up when his scampering run saw his initial shot smothered by McKeown, but the Birmingham loanee contrived to turn the rebound over.

Terry Taylor was booked for diving in the Rovers’ box in the 90th minute on a night of frustration for Holloway’s side.