Paul Hurst believes point against Colchester could prove vital for Grimsby - 7M sport

Paul Hurst believes point against Colchester could prove vital for Grimsby



Posted Sunday, March 14, 2021 by PA

Paul Hurst believes point against Colchester could prove vital for Grimsby

Paul Hurst reckons the point Grimsby picked up from a 0-0 draw against Colchester United could prove crucial in their ongoing League Two survival bid.

After watching relegation rivals Barrow win on Friday night, the Mariners were unable to match that result as they played out a goalless draw at Blundell Park.

It means they are now six points adrift of safety – having played a game more.

Chances were few and far between in the first half, with captains Lenell John-Lewis and Harry Pell going as close as anyone to opening the scoring.

John-Lewis crashed against the crossbar from close range, shortly after dragging a previous effort wide with his right foot.

Pell, meanwhile, was denied by returning goalkeeper James McKeown, who did well to smoother his efforts.

Upon the restart, Colchester forged several decent openings and – on another day – it might have been enough to earn them all three points.

Indeed, McKeown once again came up with the goods to deny former team-mate Pell, while Jevani Brown had one cleared off the line by Filipe Morais.

Hurst said: “Every game is an opportunity to win. From the outside looking in, the table will say whether we have a better chance or not.

“Just looking at the table itself, that could end up being a big point for us.

“We’re still propping the rest of the teams up, but I still see positives personally. We were on top for quite a bit of the game.

“They started better than us, for about the first 10 minutes, and they certainly had a period, for about five minutes, in the second half.

“Other than that, I thought we were the better team and I think half-time came at a good time for them. I felt like we were getting on top of the game, sustaining a bit of pressure and we had the chance with Lenny (John-Lewis).

“But the positive for me, overall, is certainly the clean sheet.”

Colchester’s interim manager Wayne Brown had expected a tough examination from Grimsby.

He said: “It was always going to be a hard-fought game and it’s always a difficult place to come.

“They are fighting for their lives. They are scrapping and wanted three points, as well, to benefit what they are trying to achieve.

“In the second half especially, we dealt with their threats and nullified them to very, very few chances.

“What pleased me the most is they stuck together as a group. You have to dig in and show character at places like this.

“I was really pleased with the clean sheet and thought we created better chances in the game. On reflection, when you analyse the stats, you will find that we had the better opportunities to score than them.”

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