
Grimsby Town will likely be grateful to be back on home turf after three games in just over a week, with Walsall the next visitors to Blundell Park before Paul Hurst's team get back on the road again. The Mariners have 11 games left of their season to try and push as high up the League Two table as possible and would like to continue their good form in the league as of late which has seen them lose just one of their last eight fixtures. Walsall have been the draw specialists of the fourth tier this term with 15, but got only their second win of the calendar year last time out at home to Gillingham, but with a victory Grimsby can leapfrog the Saddlers in the table, who currently sit 13th. Join us throughout the afternoon as we bring you updates, team news and reaction, with updates appearing automatically below as and when they are posted. Key Events Grimsby team 14:01 14:02 Sam Allen Reaction Three changes from Mansfield with Amos, Efete and Green coming back into the starting line-up, no formational change as such with Hurst sticking with the forward trio that started well on Wednesday night. Share Comments 14:01 Sam Allen Walsall team Share Comments 14:01 KEY EVENT Grimsby team Crocombe; Efete, Smith, Waterfall, Maher, Amos; Green, Morris, McAtee, Lloyd, Taylor Subs: Emmanuel, Khan, Clifton, Hunt, O'Neill, Orsi, Khouri Share Comments 13:44 Sam Allen Team news soon Rotation of some sort expected as is the deal with the games coming as they are, with a day less than usual to recover and recuperate for a Saturday game having played on the Wednesday night rather than Tuesday. Share Comments 13:35 Sam Allen Town looking to build on league resilience The Mariners have avoided defeat in seven of their last eight league games despite the intensity of the schedule with the cup games mixed in and they come up against a Walsall side who have only managed two wins in 2023. Share Comments 13:19 Sam Allen Arrived Share Comments Sam Allen John McAtee's response Paul Hurst was impressed with John McAtee’s response to being dropped at the weekend in Grimsby Town’s 0-0 draw with Mansfield Town on Wednesday night. Although he did not manage to get on the scoresheet at Field Mill, McAtee was the driving force behind the Mariners' strong first-half performance against a play-off chasing Mansfield side. It was a redemption performance of sorts for the 23-year-old who, despite being rested in the Sutton United game that came just before, did not make the starting line-up for Town’s FA Cup quarter-final match-up with Brighton on Sunday. McAtee did come on at half-time at the Amex, but when asked why he did not start the game, Grimsby boss Hurst gave a rather abrupt response. Read more here. Grimsby Town forward John McAtee. (Image: Jon Corken) Share Comments Sam Allen PH determination Paul Hurst is determined to see Grimsby Town end the season on a high with 11 games left to see how far they can push up the League Two table in their first term back in the EFL. With the glitz and glamour of the club’s historic cup run now in the rear-view mirror and while, realistically speaking, there is not a huge amount to play for in the league for the rest of the campaign, the desire is still there to make the most of what is left. Despite having big FA Cup games mixed in there, Town have still managed to avoid defeat in seven of their last eight league games including being unbeaten in their last four. The latest result, a draw away at Mansfield Town was another solid outing for Hurst’s men, who still want to push up the table. Read more here. Grimsby Town manager Paul Hurst (Image: Jon Corken) Share Comments Sam Allen Alex Hunt's FA Cup lesson Alex Hunt says there is plenty he and his Grimsby Town teammates can take from their run to the FA Cup quarter-finals as the full focus of the squad now switches back to the league. The Mariners fell to one of the best teams in the country this term in Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend, bringing to an end a cup run which will go down in the history books of not just the club but the competition itself. Once the season comes to an end it is something the players and coaching staff will be able to properly look back and reflect on with immense pride. For now, Hunt believes lessons can be learned from those recent experiences against top-tier opposition that the Town players can try to apply moving forward. Read more here. Grimsby Town midfielder Alex Hunt in action against Brighton (Image: PA) Share Comments Sam Allen Welcome Afternoon all. Will be nice for the Town players to be back on home turf today after another week on their travels which has likely taken a lot out of them physically and mentally, from Sutton to Brighton to Mansfield in the last three games. Stay with us throughout the afternoon as we bring you all the build-up, team news and live score updates from Blundell Park. Share Comments