Football Season Review

It was a disastrous season for Grimsby Town as they finished bottom of the League 2 and lost their Football League status for the second time in eleven years. Paul Hurst was the man who got them back up in 2016 and he returned to try and save them this time around. He inherited a bloated squad from predecessor Ian Holloway, who played a significant role in the whole sorry saga. The protracted sale of the club and another new stadium project were unnecessary distractions whilst Holloway used the global Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse for his summer recruitment. It was a mess and they made a poor start to the season. The team won just five of the first 19 matches when Holloway jumped ship before they fell into the bottom, clearly recognising the way things were going. Having made several claims of loyalty to the club, it felt like a betrayal to many fans. Hurst was left to clean up the mess but it was a thankless task summed up when striker Stefan Payne was sent off for head butting team-mate Filipe Morais following an on-pitch disagreement. Relegation was confirmed before the end of a miserable campaign and they can have no complaints. There is some sunshine on the horizon with the takeover finally being completed and Hurst has already taken the Mariners back up once. The fans will be hoping he can do it again.

Player of the Season: Luke Hendrie