Big talks over player contracts on horizon
PAUL Hurst admits some “honest conversations” will take place with his Grimsby Town players soon as he begins to look ahead to next season.
The Mariners’ relegation looks to be just a matter of time now after Tuesday night’s defeat to Morecambe – plus Colchester’s win over Southend – left them with a monumental mountain to climb.
With just four games remaining, Town sit nine points from safety, and a return to non-league could be confirmed as early as Saturday.
Hurst hasn’t yet conceded defeat, and has called for his players to carry on fighting, although he has admitted it is now a “mammoth” task for his side to remain in the EFL.
The Town boss is preparing himself for a big summer under new ownership, when he looks set to be planning for life back in the National League.
And having mooted changes across the club, Hurst will start on his playing squad soon, with some players still contracted for next season having not featured in recent weeks.
“It’s pretty obvious from the amount of people that came in, and we’ve been unlucky in terms of losing a few of those,” Hurst said.
“We’ve lost a couple, a couple haven’t worked out, but overall I don’t think there’s any doubt we’ve improved.
“I guess in one window that’s always known to be difficult, we probably couldn’t make all the changes that we would have liked.
“I’ve said right from the start there would be changes – some of those have occurred, and there’ll be more to come. “That’s, I think, pretty inevitable, that’s not me giving the game away or making excuses, that’s the way that I see the job. “Clearly, I would want a stronger squad to compete moving forwards. “There’ll be some honest conversations to come. Whether they happen just yet I don’t know because it’s not mathematically over, but there’s no doubt some conversations will occur.
“I think that’s just part and parcel of the situation. We’ll see how they go.”