Just Back

I admit I never went and relied on JT and Big Chris' commentary (very well done too BTW!) but bringing on Parslow made no sense to me either.

Especially as we were squandering SO MANY chances (again I reiterate I wasn't there and relied on JT's commentary) but the substitution that would have made sense to me was to bring Hamish on?!

If we were missing loads of chances, keep them coming but put on the guy that has been heralded as "he can certainly finish" by PH!!

Am I being too gung ho or was the defensive aspect of our game requiring a boost?

Opinions please...

Quoted from Biccys

I admit I never went and relied on JT and Big Chris' commentary (very well done too BTW!) but bringing on Parslow made no sense to me either.

Especially as we were squandering SO MANY chances (again I reiterate I wasn't there and relied on JT's commentary) but the substitution that would have made sense to me was to bring Hamish on?!

If we were missing loads of chances, keep them coming but put on the guy that has been heralded as "he can certainly finish" by PH!!
Am I being too gung ho or was the defensive aspect of our game requiring a boost?
Opinions please...

The changes Eastleigh made packed their midfield and they started to over run us in the last 5 minutes, we only really had Clay n Disley in there so IMO  we certainly need to strengthen and close the gaps in midfield, and by dropping Parslow in there did the trick so credit to PH
UTMM

Quoted from gobby

The changes Eastleigh made packed their midfield and they started to over run us in the last 5 minutes, we only really had Clay n Disley in there so IMO  we certainly need to strengthen and close the gaps in midfield, and by dropping Parslow in there did the trick so credit to PH
UTMM

Couldn't agree more with this. Parslow came on for the last fifteen minutes. It is my opinion that had he not come on those last 15 minutes would have been far more nerve wracking than they were for those listening on the radio. Hurst's 4-5-1 formation has paid dividends on the road this season and whatever (alleged) faults there are with his abilities to manage forwards into a credible force he certainly knows how to set a team up defensively.

Our defensive record this season is excellent. The only blip we've had came in those home games against Lincoln and Macclesfield when Toto was suspended. I know he picks up yellows regularly and gives us hearts-in-mouths moments, but our record when he plays is very decent.

Bringing Parslow on was a piece of good defensive management, they brought on two fresh subs to try to over run our( three matches in a week midfield) I`m not normally a Parslow admirer especially at full back but he was needed to protect the back four last night and it was a great substitution by Hurst, well done PH

Excellent trip down courtesy of Terry's Battle Bus. Welcomed into their supporters club bar where, as already reported, their Chairman thanked us for coming and bought drinks. Met some very knowledgeable locals one of whom had been to 1700+ grounds to watch football!
The game itself was all Town certainly for the first hour. The back four (with Mags restored to his favoured position) were rarely troubled. Pearson must have really big pockets because he now has Constable in there alongside Akinde. Robertson looks like the unflustered, no-nonsense defender that Aswad wasn't although it's early days to say whether he can make the same impact going forward.
Arnold had far and away his best 45 minutes in a Town shirt. He has a lot of skill, quick feet and the ability to pick out a pass. I'd love to see the stats for the amount of moves in Town's first 30 minutes he fashioned or contributed to.
Palmer continued where he left off on Saturday-willing to run, and run, and run...His goal was as much about his persistence as any skill factor. For a defender at this level it must be a pretty scary prospect to see LJL and Palmer bearing down on you
The only down-side was the profligacy in front of goal but the defence were so on top that strangely it almost seemed not to matter.
Second half they gave it more of a go. Fortunately Hurst was alert to the warning signs of being overrun in midfield as three games in 7 days began to take a toll on Clay in particular.
The old failing of giving away free kicks in dangerous areas came back to haunt us making the last 10 minutes a bit more nervy than they deserved to be on the balance of play.
I was surprised to see Jolley start and feel it is too early to make statements about what he will be like. I think I read somewhere that he is a confidence player. His head went down a wee bit after he blazed the ball over the bar from a very good position in front of goal but he saw plenty of the ball and made some useful runs/passes before being substituted.
No-one played badly but if I had to nominate a MOM it would just be Palmer from Pearson.
Back on the bus and away by 9:50 with our box of pies and sausage rolls which, thankfully, due to Big Mick's absence actually did make it past the first row of seats...

Robertson was that good that he was a complete shoe in within the back four, Toto and Pearson were outstanding and Magnay well just his normal game 3 divs above plus I thought Macca commanded his area from corners well and only had one real shot to save all match, a champions defence

Anothe great comment from the Eastleighfans:

"Grimsby were by far the best side i have seen this season and not only the best, but the best team to watch aswell, with their fast exciting brand of football, where they looked to attack as quickly as they possibly could everytime one of our forward moves broke down. The blatantly obvious tactic & one that made me painfully jealous of their talented team, was that i enjoyed how they got the ball wide and then moved it with pace down the flanks."

Quoted from Mighty_Mariner

Anothe great comment from the Eastleighfans:

"Grimsby were by far the best side i have seen this season and not only the best, but the best team to watch aswell, with their fast exciting brand of football, where they looked to attack as quickly as they possibly could everytime one of our forward moves broke down. The blatantly obvious tactic & one that made me painfully jealous of their talented team, was that i enjoyed how they got the ball wide and then moved it with pace down the flanks."

Well If the new signings have really given us this much desired approach I must applaud PH who I have to say has not enjoyed much support from me over the past 12 months. One ( or two) swallows do not make a summer but heres hoping.

Great result and by all accounts a great performance. Well done to all especially those fans who made the long journey as it these fans who deserve success the most.

I have to say I found Eastleigh to be welcoming and friendly with a good playing surface too.

The 'big' stand behind one goal was a bit like a box but overall a decent non league ground with friendly and hospitable people.

Great turn out from Mariners fans and the majority are people from NE lincs as opposed to London Mariners