We’re moving in right direction
SATURDAY’S monumental FA Cup win against Cambridge United triggered memories of Grimsby Town’s last visit to the Abbey Stadium for Paul Hurst and he reflected on how far the club have come since that point.
An already-relegated Mariners side arrived at Cambridge and were soundly beaten by the U’s who were confirmed as League Two title winners on what was the final matchday of the 20-21 season. Relegation back to the National League with ownership issues and fans unable to attend games made it a season to forget for Town, but the planning had already begun at the point for what was next. 1878 Partners takeover had been confirmed by that point and Hurst evaluated and prepared his squad for what would turn out to be an unforgettable promotion campaign and instant bounce back for Town.
Skip to the present day, and it can be seen why this win held slightly more significance than most this term, not to mention the opportunity it provided of drawing one of the country’s elite clubs. Hurst reflected by saying: “The last time we came here was as a team that had already been relegated and Cambridge had secured promotion. There has been a lot of progress from the club in that time and that was the start of an opportunity to change things around. “We assessed the squad from that point forward and that was the start of better times for us.
“We’ve still got a lot of progress that we can make but we’re certainly making it, just because we haven’t won as many games in the league recently does not change that.
“We feel that the club are 100 per cent moving in the right direction and the extra finances from this win are always welcome.”
The FA Cup is the gift that keeps on giving with the special storylines it produces year-on-year with Hurst and his players now dreaming of writing another one of their own in this year’s competition.
“It has not always been the kindest competition to me as a manager,” continued Hurst. “I have had some bad exits, but we’ve beaten two League One teams now to get where we are and have shown we are a decent side when at our best.
“We’re striving for consistency now and always but it is certainly nice to progress [in the FA Cup] above all and the next round will hopefully provide a good game and big occasion for us when it comes around. We’ve got plenty of important games in the league before that time comes, but it was nice to share that moment with our fans who turned up in their numbers, as they have done all season.”