Grimsby boss Hurst concedes defeat would have been harsh on Magpies
Grimsby Town boss Paul Hurst felt his side had done just about enough to win Saturday's match at York Road, but he hadn't reckoned on the resilience of Alan Devonshire's Magpies.
United were on course for their fifth straight defeat when Erico Sousa escaped his marker to fire the ball past Rhys Lovett in the 73rd minute, in a game they shaded for long spells, Maidenhead hit back with a header from Kane Ferdinand 10 minutes later.
It was no less than they deserved, something that Hurst was happy to admit after the final whistle.
The Mariners arrived in Berkshire looking to extend their own fine start to the season, but their raucous fans were quickly silenced by Maidenhead's dominant first half display. As against Notts County the previous week, chances came but couldn't be taken, with Emile Acquah and Josh Kelly the main offenders. Acquah should have headed home from Sam Barratt's cross in the 17th minute, while Kelly fired over the bar in the dying embers of the half with only James McKeown to beat.
“It looked like a performance where maybe we’d just done enough to win, but that would have been a little bit harsh on Maidenhead,” he said.
“There are different ways to win games. You’re not always going to blow teams away and dominate possession, but overall, there was a lack of enthusiasm to get on the ball and the energy levels were lower than anticipated.
“There wasn’t a lot of free-flowing football, which we’ve played previously. In the second half we talked about upping the tempo. We had little spells, but not for long enough and certainly not at the desired level.
“I never felt we were comfortable, but I always thought we would score today. We have to try and keep the door shut when you’re not at your best and I thought we did that for large parts, but their goal has cost us two points from being in a winning position.” The result leaves Maidenhead 17th, while Grimsby remain third, with a game in hand on leaders Dagenham & Redbridge and Chesterfield.