UPBEAT WILKO’S GIVEN US A LIFT – CLARKE
NATHAN Clarke says Grimsby caretaker manager Paul Wilkinson has got everyone smiling again after Russell Slade’s sacking.
Former Middlesbrough striker Wilkinson has temporarily replaced Slade, who was sacked last weekend after a 12-game winless run.
The Mariners were 18th in the table before the weekend’s clash against Cambridge, but Clarke is convinced Wilkinson can turn things around.
The centre-back said: “He’s certainly bringing a positivity about the place after the negative of previous results. He’s certainly brought the lads back smiling and looking forward to training.
“Everybody’s desperately trying to do as well as they can. We’ve got to go out there now with the hunger and the desire to go and get the three points.”
Clarke, 34, admitted it had been tough for the squad to deal with a change of manager, but he knows focus must now shift to securing survival in League Two.
He added: “Any change in management or staff is hard to take.
“You don’t like anybody losing their job, especially Russell. He was a good guy, a good manager. I’ve worked with him previously so I got on with him.
“You’ve got to move on. You’ve got to go out and get the results, or – unfortunately – the manager seems to take the brunt of it.
“The lads are disappointed. We’ve desperately been trying to do well.”
Mariners’ majority shareholder John Fenty has been wading through a ‘mountain of applications’ for the manager’s job.
Among the names linked with the post have been former Bradford boss Stuart McCall, exSouthend manager Phil Brown, Macclesfield manager John Askey and Boston United boss Craig Elliott. Wilkinson could also be a contender.