Mariners are sure to miss Ryan
HURST DISCUSSES WHAT TAYLOR BRINGS TO TOWN
PAUL Hurst was assertive and to the point in his explanation surrounding what Ryan Taylor brings to Grimsby Town as the team comes to terms with his injury absence.
The Town boss confirmed that Taylor would be out for around three months with a torn hamstring last week.
The 34-year-old has featured regularly for the Mariners since joining in the summer of 2021, making 48 starts since arriving at Blundell Park, with 14 so far this season, in which he has scored three goals.
His role within the team is often a point of discussion amongst the fan base considering his goal output is not at the level of most centre-forwards.
However, just by looking at the Doncaster Rovers defeat at the weekend, it’s clear Taylor’s influence at the top of the pitch was missed.
His strong aerial ability, as well as hold-up play to bring his teammates into the game in the forward positions, is vital to how Hurst wants his team to play.
Also, the experienced forward’s dropout with injury coincides with the return of John McAtee, and the pair’s chemistry and link-up play were crucial to the Mariners last term.
The next few months will show how far Taylor’s influence on the team might stretch, and when probed about the striker’s impact, the Town manager gave a clear response.
Hurst said: “I have given my thoughts on Ryan [Taylor] many times already this season; some people seem to think that he doesn’t offer the team much, but I beg to differ.
“There’ll be some games where we cope just fine and others where we will hope that he was out there. “He is a good player, very clever, and he does some things on the pitch that fans maybe don’t always appreciate or recognise, at least, but if you ask his teammates, they would all speak very well of him and what he brings to the team and how he allows us to play at times.
“There are some of the unseen roles that he does as well, amongst other things, such as helping with defensive set plays. For those reasons, he will be a miss, and I think everyone knows that.”