Stockwood and Pettit pass three year landmark
LEARNING FOR TOWN’S OWNERS
JASON Stockwood and Andrew Pettit have reached the three-year mark as stewards of Grimsby Town as they look towards the next phase of the club’s development. Year three was certainly one of learning for Town’s majority shareholders as they made the first managerial change of their tenure while going through a season which fell well below their expectations for the first time.
Mistakes were made along the way that they have since owned up to, showing a level of accountability that the supporters can get behind as they look to learn from their past errors for the betterment of the club.
One of the big lessons was backing their beliefs as owners and making sure that their vision filters through in how the club operates both on and off the pitch.
They have hired a head coach who is fully behind their philosophy and “game model” that they have referred to many times recently in interviews, which should make decisionmaking easier.
What drew them to take on this massive responsibility in the first place was their preestablished love for the club, being local lads who supported Town before becoming the people responsible for it, and that continues to shine through three years in.
While there have been some tough moments in the last year, fans can find comfort in the fact the pair will never hide away from the responsibility of trying to get the club back on an upward trajectory as they want to see that as much as anyone. They would not have taken on ownership of the club in the position it was in if it were for personal glory either, with their commitment to pushing forward the community element that Grimsby possesses being key to their longevity as owners moving forward.
It is easy to forget the progression that has already been made at the club under Stockwood and Pettit because football moves quickly, and the disappointment of the season just gone is still fresh in the minds.
The hope is that the feeling of disappointment will be channelled the right way to drive the changes that need to be made in their approach to break through the ceiling placed on Town for the last two decades.
The club have people in charge who want to see it be more than a middling League Two club and are trying to modernise every aspect of it as part of their best efforts to do that, which should be embraced by all.
New investors are being brought in to help make those improvements, and overall, it feels like the start of another new chapter for the Mariners, hopefully one with more success.