Grimsby boss Paul Hurst rues ‘unbelievable’ Stevenage defeat



Posted Sunday, January 31, 2021 by PA

Grimsby boss Paul Hurst rues ‘unbelievable’ Stevenage defeat

Grimsby manager Paul Hurst described his side’s 2-1 League Two defeat to fellow strugglers Stevenage as “unbelievable” after falling in the most dramatic of circumstances.

The Mariners looked to have rescued a point when Stefan Payne struck in stoppage-time to equalise after Elliott List’s first-half opener.

But the visitors claimed all three points with virtually the last touch of the game as they immediately pumped the ball up-field from kick-off, with Matty Stevens ghosting in to flick home the winner.

The result leaves Grimsby further in danger as they remain in the relegation zone, and Hurst found it hard to explain how his side had let their point slip.

“Unbelievable is the word,” Hurst said. “I said to (head physio) Dave Moore, I’ve been in the game a long time, and I can’t remember being involved in something like that.

“I’ve said to the players I should have been in the dressing room afterwards congratulating them on a hard-earned point, and one that ultimately I think they deserved from it.

“I thought for large parts of that, we were probably the better team. It was never going to be pretty with the wind and conditions, but we got a late, late goal that you think is going to be the one.

“You can’t just concede a goal like that – and you’re certainly asking to lose games if that’s how you defend that sort of situation.

“You can say it ends up being a half-decent ball, and I don’t know if it got slightly caught in the wind or not, but you feel like you’re just going to deal with it.

“Then it’s gone over Luke (Waterfall)’s head, dropped down, Macca’s (James McKeown) coming out for it, and the lad’s poked it past him.

“It’s a hard one to take. I can’t deny that, it’s extremely difficult when we’d got ourselves a goal, albeit a late one, that I think the lads deserved for large parts of the game.”

In the opposite dugout though, Alex Revell and his side could not contain their joy at the final whistle, having picked up such a vital three points.

Stevenage moved four points clear of the bottom two with that win, with their manager paying tribute to his side in snatching victory at the death.

“I felt we started the first half really well, we were really positive and probably didn’t make the most of the start in terms of chances and putting the ball in good positions,” Revell said.

“You think to yourself, ‘right, we’re in this position again’ and you begin to wonder where you’re going to go.

“I thought as the half went on Grimsby grew stronger but I thought we showed some real resilience. The young defence we had showed real character to come through that.”

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