PREVIEW | Grimsby Town vs Wrexham

The Mariners have reorganised themselves and are on a promising unbeaten run as they prepare to welcome The Red Dragons.

22 March 2024

After the rare experience of back-to-back home games in which Wrexham didn’t score we have to turn that disappointment into motivation for a trip to a side which we’ve had quite a history with in recent years.

THE WREXHAM ANGLE

During our time in the National League we’ve beaten Grimsby Town in the FA Trophy Final at Wembley, marked Andy Morrell’s first game as manager with a terrific win at Blundell Park, had our 150^th birthday party ruined when The Mariners won our celebratory game and lost an insane promotion play-off 5-4 as Town pulled off a sensational post-season to return to the EFL! Don’t be surprised if the winning goal on Saturday is scored in the 40^th minute of added time by the referee!

The loss to Tranmere stung, and even the silver lining of Tom O’Connor retuning to the side was tarnished when the stylish midfielder was clattered, although he got through 60 minutes of a midweek reserve game, so he’ll hopefully be in contention. However, James McClean sits out the last game of his 2-match suspension, and with George Evans and James Jones still absent, our midfield options remain limited by absences.

Ryan Barnett was also the subject of a heavy challenge last Saturday, so Luke Bolton is on standby to step in on the right.

A midweek reserve match gave some much-needed game time to players who have either been returning from injury or lacking minutes on the pitch lately. Jack Marriott’s remarkably swift hat trick and Sam Dalby’s brace meant they were two of a number of players who made a case for a starting place in the 7-1 win over Salford.

LAST MEETING

THE OPPOSING VIEW

The Mariners might be languishing in a disappointing 21st place, but there is little danger of them being dragged into the relegation scrap, and recent form has been pleasingly solid. Manager Dave Artell, who spent a spell at the Stok Cae Ras, has shown impressive flexibility to get a tune out of his squad.

Artell inherited a rugged, hard-working squad from Paul Hurst last November, and initially looked to impose a more possession-based approach, as he had with success at his previous club, Crewe Alexandra. There were some promising performances in the early weeks of his tenure, but as time passed it became apparent that the players were struggling to adapt to the change of style.

The first two games of 2024, both at Blundell Park, brought the issue into stark relief with 11 goals conceded in a remarkable 5-5 draw with Notts County and a rather less impressive 6-1 defeat to Walsall. Those losses were part of a sequence of results which saw Artell's side win just one game in eleven, which also included a 5-1 loss at home to Doncaster.

Artell responded decisively, reverting to a more direct, defensively solid style of play, and has reaped the rewards. They are on an unbeaten 6-game run, recording an impressive draw at AFC Wimbledon and, in their most recent home game, victory over MK Dons. Just three goals have been conceded in the process as the players' heart and willingness to put in a good shift have been rewarded.

Ollie Palmer made his Wrexham debut against Grimsby in January 2021, and scored the only goal of the game.

Artell told the Grimsby Telegraph that he'd seen his side show signs of improvement before the unbeaten run began: “We’ve spoken about being proud to wear the shirt and represent the town, and I think we’ve seen that in abundance from the players in the recent performances.

“Someone showed me a stat that said our expected points up in the few games leading up to Doncaster was at nine and we got two, so I appreciate that people believe the turnaround has been massive, but we weren’t far away in the games before this unbeaten run.

“It’s still results that are the most important, the progression looks quite stark but we were already on our way here. We’ve just got to make sure that we keep that going now and keep building. If we do that, then we’ll be fine.

"I could sit here and say that we did okay against Doncaster because we had more expected goals, and people will think I’m an idiot for saying it, but they are facts. However, what was also evident that day was when they scored the third, our heads went down, so the thing that has changed is that we’re responding better to setbacks in the game since then.

“I had faith in the group that we were going to perform well when the time came to do so. Is there still a long way to go? Definitely - I want us to be able to defend as well as we have done in recent games while being a lot better with the ball, but that will come over time."

Some of the goals we’ve scored recently have been fabulous team goals with different players combining which is something we’ve been working on a long time. That’s what the lads can produce, we’ve just got to do that more often whilst also being resolute in defence.

-Dave Artell, Grimsby manager

There was online speculation that the squad had forced Artell into the change of direction, but co-owner Jason Stockwood was swift to take to Twitter to quash the rumour and emphasise the unity that exists at the club:

Artell hasn't just altered the side's playing style: after the heavy loss to Doncaster, he switched to a 3-5-2 shape which has allowed his side to congest the middle of the pitch, making them very difficult to play against. Curtis Thompson sits with real discipline in front of the back three to offer a rock-solid foundation from which to build. Town are a different proposition to the side which lacked confidence at the turn of the year, and will be a tricky side to overcome on their own patch.

HEAD TO HEAD

We’ve suffered some painful recent defeats to Grimsby, and returned from our last two trips east empty-handed. Our most recent win at Blundell Park was in April 2015. Joe Clarke scored the only goal in the 17^th minute, as Wrexham finished the season strongly under the caretaker managership of Carl Darlington and Lee Jones.

Put in temporary charge after the dismissal of Kevin Wilkin following the FA Trophy final, Darlington and Jones suffered just one loss in 8 games, winning 4.

Our most recent game in Cleethorpes saw Jake Hyde give us the lead half way throuigh the first half, but 4 minutes later it was all square and it didn't take long for ex-Wrexham centre back Luke Waterfall to put The Mariners ahead. A goal in the final minute sealed a 3-1 loss.

In the 2013-14 season Grimsby took the lead, but an own goal by future Wrexham legend Shaun Pearson at the end of the first half levelled matters t looked like we’d hang onto a point until two goals in the last 3 minutes earned the home side a 3-1 win.

A memorable recent clash at Blundell Park came in 2011 when Andy Morrell celebrated his first match as Wrexham manager in style. Unexpectedly hurled into the task following Dean Saunders’ surprise departure a couple of days earlier, Morrell immediately had to deal with the blow of losing Curtis Obeng to suspension.

He reshuffled his side, playing Chris Westwood at right back, and saw his side respond to his inaugural team talk. He enjoyed a stroke of luck with the opener, a header onto his own shoulder by Mathias Pogba which deceived the keeper as it looped gently over him, but his side showed resilience to respond to Liam Hearn’s equaliser with superb second half goals from Jay Harris and Lee Fowler to clinch a fine 3-1 win.

That result matched our best result at Grimsby, as it was the third time we’ve won 3-1 there. The first was in October 1954 through goals by Ron Hewitt, Dave Jackson and Dennis Griffiths, and we equalled that score in January 2004 thanks to Chris Llewellyn, Steve Thomas and Chris Armstrong.

Our worst visit to Blundell Park came in April 1990. We’d struggled against relegation to the Conference all season, so perhaps the side felt a sense of relief after achieving their goal in the previous match. Whatever the reason, we were in for a depressing afternoon. Grimsby were celebrating promotion, so there was a natural gulf between the sides anyway, but we did nothing to poop their party! To be fair we showed some early resilience: one-time Manchester United striker Garry Birtles gave Grimsby the lead but Andy Preece equalised ten minutes before the break.

That seemed to provoke The Mariners however, and they rattled in five goals, with Birtles completing a hat trick, and to make matters worse Joey Jones was stretchered off with a broken leg.

#DATAANORAK

TODAY’S OTHER FIXTURES

Mansfield Town v Colchester United

Harrogate Town v Bradford City

Barrow v Newport County

Crewe Alexandra v AFC Wimbledon

Doncaster Rovers v Forest Green Rovers

Morecambe v Gillingham

Notts County v Salford City

Sutton United v Accrington Stanley

Tranmere Rovers v Crawley Town

Stockport County v Milton Keynes Dons

The two teams above us top and tail Saturday's fixtures with two televised games: Mansfield get the ball rolling with what looks like a straightforward home clash against Colchester United; Stockport, who've taken just 7 points from their last 7 games, facea rather more awkward challenge against fourth-placed Milton Keynes.

Crewe and Barrow, 5th and 6th respectively, have struggled for form lately and face awkward challenges: Barrow entertain Newport county, who won their last 2 games, while Alex are up against 7th placed AFC Wimbledon. Also, keep an eye on events at Prenton Park, where two in-form sides clash. Tranmere, fresh from their win at The Stok Cae Ras, are unbeaten in 4, including 3 victories, while Crawley's run of 5 wins in their last 7 games leaves them just outside the play-offs with 2 games in hand on most of their rivals.

POTENTIAL MILESTONES

Ollie Palmer's 500^th career league match.

Jordan Davies’ 125^th league game for Wrexham.

Match Reports

REPORT | Grimsby Town 1-3 Wrexham AFC

Red Dragons claim vital three points after thrilling first-half display

23 March 2024

Wrexham AFC produced an emphatic showing on the road to claim all three points, as they beat Grimsby Town 3-1 at Blundell Park.

Andy Cannon opened the scoring after just five minutes, and he then doubled Wrexham’s lead with a thunderous finish in the 36th minute.

Paul Mullin then went on to make it 3-0 to Wrexham, as the forward recorded his 97th competitive goal for the Club.

Grimsby got a goal back nine minutes from time through Arthur Gnahoua, but it wasn’t enough to stop Wrexham from claiming a huge win in the race for promotion.

With Mansfield having dropped points against Colchester earlier in the day, Wrexham’s trip up to the north-east provided a perfect opportunity to gain points on one of their promotion rivals.

Phil Parkinson named three changes to the side that faced Tranmere Rovers last weekend, as Ollie Palmer and Luke Bolton were called into the line-up, while Tom O’Connor returned from his injury lay-off to start in midfield.

The Red Dragons started well at Blundell Park in tricky conditions, and their positive attitude paid off in front of a sold-out crowd, breaking the deadlock to silence the home supporters after just five minutes.

It all started from the front, as Mullin’s press forced a high clearance from the Mariners’ backline which Cannon eventually intercepted, before skipping past his opposite number with ease.

The midfielder didn't stop there, as he drove forwards and dragged three Grimsby defenders, who couldn’t dispossess Cannon as the number 20 unleashed a strike from 25-yards out that eventually nestled into the bottom-left corner.

Grimsby enjoyed the majority of possession in blustering winds, holding 20% more possession than the Red Dragons at times, but the Mariners had little to show for this.

Wrexham inflicted a critical blow on the hosts yet again, as Cannon doubled his tally for the afternoon to extend the Red Dragons’ lead just nine minutes before the interval.

This time it was O’Connor, who slotted seamlessly back into the starting XI for the first time since January.

The midfielder found an on-rushing Cannon with a perfectly-weighted through pass down the right, and the 28-year-old was full of confidence as he smashed the ball into the far corner, sparking further celebrations in Cleethorpes.

Parkinson was handed another reason to celebrate, as Paul Mullin gave Wrexham a three-goal advantage in the 41st minute - the biggest lead that the Red Dragons have held on the road for the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign so far.

Jacob Mendy smashed through a loose ball, but his attempt was bravely blocked, and eventually deflected forwards into the path of Mullin.

The forward then produced a moment of magic, even by his own high standards, as he turned his shoulder and fired home first-time on the volley to score a vital goal against the Mariners.

Grimsby kicked off the second-half, but it was more of the same for the hosts, who lacked any real conviction in their efforts going forward.

If anything, it was going to be Wrexham who extended their advantage further, with the counter-attacking threat of Mullin proving tricky to deal with for the Mariners.

While not many chances arose for Wrexham, it was their hard work from the first period which allowed them the breathing space to defend in such a resolute nature.

However, Grimsby had some late hope given to them with nine minutes left on the clock, as substitute Arthur Gnahoua fired into the bottom corner just as the game was starting to fade away.

Despite the set-back, the result was never in doubt, as Wrexham dug in deep to hold onto their lead and claim a vital three points in the Sky Bet League Two promotion race.

Grimsby Town: Cartwright, Green (Wood 61’), Rodgers, Thompson, Holohan (C) (Andrews 61’), Clifton, Obikwu, Tharme, Wilson (Pyke 73’), Mularkey, Hume (Gnahoua 61’).

Subs not used: Eastwood, Smith, Vernam.

Wrexham AFC: Okonkwo, Cleworth, O'Connell, Boyle, Bolton, Cannon (Young 71’), O'Connor, Lee, Mendy (McFadzean 50’), Mullin (C) (Marriott 86’), Palmer (Fletcher 86’).

Substitutions: Howard, Tozer, Dalby,

Match Attendance: 7,728 (1,128 Away).