Eastwood the latest name on Mariners’ growing list of injured players
OPTIONS LIMITED WITH EIGHT NOW OUT
THE injury list continues to grow for Grimsby Town after they suffered another big setback last week. Goalkeeper Jake Eastwood is the latest name to be added to the ever-growing list, with eight players now out injured.
And with their place in the EFL on the line, the knocks couldn’t have come at a worse time for Paul Hurst and the Mariners.
“We’ve picked up a lot of injuries all of a sudden, and gone from having too many players. This isn’t me crying about it, it happens, and we’ve still got more than enough players - but it just causes us a few more issues,” the Town boss said.
Here’s Grimsby Town’s full injury list as it stands...
Jake Eastwood
The on-loan Sheffield United stopper looks set to be out for around a month, having picked up an injury in training.
Thankfully, the Mariners do have a more-thanable replacement in club captain James McKeown, who kept a clean sheet on his return at the weekend against Colchester.
Having been in good form though since making the temporary switch to Blundell Park, Eastwood will be a big miss for Town.
There’s no set return date yet for the goalkeeper, although at this stage the earliest game he might be back for looks to be against Bradford City on April 10.
Sam Habergham
Having gone down during the draw at Carlisle, there were obvious concerns for the defender, given his recent past.
Thankfully - in one sense - the injury turned out not to be his knee, which kept him out of action for nearly three years.
Instead, it was his hip which was causing him problems, with the former Lincoln City man being sent away for a scan during the week.
There’s no return date as of yet, but having been able to see out the first half at Brunton Park, Hurst will be hopeful it’s nothing too serious.
Joe Bunney
Having picked up a knock at Carlisle, Bunney was ruled out of Saturday’s stalemate with Colchester, meaning Harry Clifton had to fill in at left-back. Thankfully, it’s not the first time the versatile midfielder has played there, and the academy graduate did his job with aplomb.
As for Bunney, there’s no word yet on how serious the injury might be, but with Habergham also out, Hurst will hope to get at least one of his left-backs fit again soon.
Mattie Pollock
The defender has found himself dropping down the pecking order in recent weeks, and he’s now suffered the setback of injury which has prevented any sort of return.
Pollock reported a groin problem last week, and the club are likely to find out more about the severity of it this week.
“It’s an issue that’s probably been ongoing for quite some time, even before I got to the club,” Hurst said.
“Sometimes it’s fine, then others it flares up a little bit. We’ll see, I think he’s due to go and see someone to see if there’s a need to do anything more than just a bit of rest.
“It’s on a knife edge - that might sound a bit dramatic, but it could go either way.”
Max Wright
It’s been a frustrating season for the young winger, and just when he appeared to be returning from injury, he suffered another setback.
Hurst has admitted he doesn’t know how severe Wright’s latest injury is, although the 22-year-old has been able to carry on running with it, so hopefully it’s not too serious.
But given his luck this season, the last thing he and his manager will want is to rush him back and risk further damage.
Sean Scannell
Having been told by his manager he needs to
improve his fitness before coming back into consideration, Scannell’s efforts haven’t quite gone to plan. The former Crystal Palace winger picked up a muscle injury in training, which has set back his hopes of returning to the first team fold. Scannell is expected to be out for a minimum of two weeks, meaning the earliest game he’ll likely be back for is against Salford City on Good Friday - although it’s likely any return will come later given what Hurst has said previously about his fitness.
Idris El Mizouni
Having limped off during the defeat to Forest Green Rovers, it looks likely we won’t be seeing El Mizouni in a Town shirt again.
The Ipswich loanee is facing being out for the rest of the season, having suffered a grade three tear to his hamstring.
There is still a slight chance he might be able to return before the end of the season, although the likelihood of that seems to be quite low.
Kyle Bennett
A long-term absentee, and someone who would likely have found himself falling down the pecking order in recent weeks, Bennett may yet come back into reckoning before the end of the season.
The Bristol Rovers loanee has been back on the training ground recently as he steps up his recovery from a hamstring injury, although Hurst has said he still remains a “long way off” making a return to action.
But, with the injuries to the other wingers at the moment, should Bennett be able to return before the end of the season, he might still have a part to play.