Mariners afloat but boss Slade is seething
GRIMSBY boss Russell Slade saw his side end their four-game losing streak with a draw at Colchester – but still felt they deserved all three points.
Derby County loanee Charles Vernam gave the Mariners a deserved first-half lead but they had to settle for a point following Sean Murray’s equaliser for Colchester, who are now without a win in five matches.
Slade also pointed the finger at the officials for not awarding a spotkick when the U’s Frankie Kent challenged Vernam in the area late on.
“I think we should have comfortably won that game,” he said.
“We ran the game for long periods in the first half and looked comfortable, and created four or five great opportunities.
“In the second period, they upped the intensity and got themselves back into the game but Charles Vernam, in the last ten minutes, has been bulled over in the box and it’s an absolute stonewall penalty.
“I’m fuming – it’s not a difficult decision for the linesman or the referee.”
Colchester are now five points off the playoff places and head coach John McGreal said: “We didn’t perform well in the first half but credit to the boys; we made a little bit of a tactical change and I thought our top three got into the game a lot more.
“If we’re going to get beat, we want to get beat the right way and credit to the players because they gave it a go and got something out of the game.
“Sean Murray came into his own a bit in the second half – we know he can strike a lovely ball and he’s put it in close to the top corner for us for the equaliser.”
Colchester goalkeeper Sam Walker denied Vernam, James Berrett and Luke Summerfield in the first half while Karleigh Osborne’s volley from a corner clattered the crossbar.
Grimsby took a deserved 37thminute lead when Vernam netted from the edge of the area after Paul Dixon had latched onto substitute Scott Vernon’s flick-on and picked him out.
But Colchester needed less than two minutes of the second half to equalise.
Substitute Courtney Senior’s trickery allowed Drey Wright to eventually pick out Murray, who lashed in brilliantly from edge of the area.
Walker denied Vernam and Ben Davies missed a great chance for Grimsby but Wright and Sammie Szmodics both went close for Colchester before the late penalty drama that irked Slade so.