FANS WILL BE OUT IN FORCE
TOWN BOSS HURST’S WARNING TO PLAY-OFF RIVALS
GRIMSBY Town manager Paul Hurst has issued a warning to any club that might host his team in the play-offs - don’t expect us to travel lightly or quietly.
Speaking ahead of the final game of the regular season at Eastleigh tomorrow, Hurst predicted the Mariners’ faithful will take up their allocation of tickets for any away eliminator tie.
Anything other than a Notts
County defeat at Maidenhead will mean Town are guaranteed to be away for the eliminator matches that are scheduled to take place on Monday,
May 23 and Tuesday, May 24.
And, even if the fifth-placed Meadow Lane outfit do lose, Hurst’s men would still need a victory at Eastleigh to overturn an inferior goal difference of six which is, in effect, seven due to County’s greater goals-for record.
Stranger things have happened, as Northampton would testify after missing out on automatic promotion from League Two last weekend on goal difference, because of Bristol
Rovers’ thumping 7-0 win over Scunthorpe.
Whatever the weekend throws up, however, the Grimsby chief seems unperturbed by the probable lack of a perceived home advantage, with potential hosts County (72 miles), Chesterfield (78), Halifax (95) and, even, Solihull (128) all boasting travelling distances that are unlikely to put off the Blundell Park faithful even in midweek.
“We won’t know who or where we are playing until Sunday, which is unfortunate, but will plan for it as best we can and be prepared and ready to give it a go.
“If it’s away from Blundell Park, which we expect, then the opposition need to be ready to see our fans out in force because we know it’s an absolute certainty our supporters will take all their tickets up and, probably, want some more. Hopefully, we can get opposition that allows many of our fans to travel.”
Hurst went on to explain that he had not decided what his team line-up will be at Eastleigh tomorrow, adding: “I’ve got an idea in mind of what I would like to do, but we need to speak to staff and to a few individuals and then see what we think is best and make a decision.”
All the top-six teams are now guaranteed at least a play-off spot with Chesterfield and Dagenham & Redbridge the only sides who can take the final place.
Town cannot meet the Daggers in the first round of the eliminators, though, as the Essex outfit, who entertain title hopefuls Wrexham, can only finish seventh and Hurst’s team only as high as fifth.
HERE ARE TOMORROW’S GAMES THAT WILL DECIDE WHO FINISHES WHERE IN THE PLAY-OFF POSITIONS:
Boreham Wood v SOLIHULL MOORS; Maidenhead v NOTTS COUNTY; CHESTERFIELD v Woking; Eastleigh v GRIMSBY; STOCKPORT v HALIFAX; DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE v WREXHAM.