DOMINANT MARINERS DELIVER JOLLEY JOY

ICHAEL JOLLEY praised the hard work of his Grimsby Town side after they swept aside League Two strugglers Notts County at Blundell Park.

MGoals from Harry Clifton, Wes Thomas and two from Harry Davis guided the Mariners to a resounding victory.

It means they have now taken 19 points from a possible 21 at home, which is just reward for their efforts in recent weeks.

Jolley said: “It was an important match for both teams as we are close to each other in the table.

“We put a real hard shift in, both offensively and defensively, and we were worth winners at the end of the game.

“Every game in this league, a team will pose you different questions. Notts County look to play off (Jon) Stead and they want to force you back with a territory-based game.

“I thought that we established good territory early in the game. We wanted to be a threat from set plays and we scored from two of them.

“At times I would have liked us to use the ball better, but I thought that we were always a threat on the counterattack, and we have worked hard to become that kind of team.

“We are getting stretched at the minute with injuries, which is frustrating, but that is football and we will deal with it.”

County manager Neal Ardley added: “I think the scoreline tells you everything you need to know. It was nowhere good enough.

“The fact we have conceded 49 goals at the halfway point in the season shows there is a massive issue for us to deal with.

“We are not taking the work we are doing in training onto the pitch. “Both boxes are the only thing that matters. We were poor in theirs. We had our chances and we missed the target. We didn’t take our chances at key moments.”

Grimsby needed only three minutes to open the scoring as Clifton followed up an initial effort from Harry Cardwell to nod past Ross Fitzsimons.

Jamie Turley headed a golden chance from a corner wide at the other end, and it proved to be telling as Davis soon made it two.

After the restart, two efforts from Nathan Thomas were enough to keep James McKeown on guard in the Grimsby goal.

But for all of their possession in and around the final third, County never really looked likely to claw their way back into the game.

And soon enough, it was 3-0 as Davis rose highest once more to head an Embleton corner, before Thomas rounded things off courtesy of a superb finish on the volley.

GRIMSBY TOWN: McKeown 7, Hendrie 6 (Hall-Johnson 55, 6), Davis 9, Whitmore 6, Fox 6, Pringle 7 (Rossi 61), Hessenthaler 7, Clifton 8, Embleton 7, Thomas 8, Cardwell 7 (Woolford 77, 6). Subs not used: A Rose, Russell, Buckley, Pollock.

NOTTS COUNTY: Fitzsimons 6, Hewitt 6, Turley 6, Ward 6, Jones 7, Vaughan 6 (Husin 89, 6), Davies 6 (Tootle 84, 6), Milsom 6, Hemmings 6, Stead 6, Thomas 6 (Dennis 65, 6). Subs not used: Pindroch, Brisley, Husin, Evina, Etete.