Midfielder spoons over in added time – but David Artell pleased with players’ resilience
After squandering a last-second opportunity to give Grimsby Town all three points at Morecambe, Gavan Holohan expressed his “devastation.”
With only a few seconds remaining at the Mazuma Stadium, the midfield player appeared set to score after latching onto Abo Eisa’s cross, but a brutal wobble caused him to dish the ball over the bar. Head coach David Artell commented, “Gavan was devastated at the end after the late chance and you had to feel for him as he had done so well to get onto the cross.”
Injury-prone Doncaster’s 5-1 home victory had Town fuming going into the match, and Artell was hoping for an answer. After last week’s loss, “we had a really productive week with a few meetings and a few open and honest conversations with the players,” he continued. “We all knew we needed a response after the Doncaster game and I thought we got that
Despite bringing a hard-earned point back to North-East Lincs, the Mariners were dragged closer to the relegation zone after Forest Green Rovers beat Tranmere – so cutting the gap between 22nd and 23rd to four points. But after a turbulent week, Artell was pleased with his players’ resilience.
“We have had illness in the camp all week and were missing some players who had been involved in a car crash in midweek so we only had 18 fit players, but every one of them put in a great shift,” the boss said. “The lads showed great resilience and determination off the ball and if we had been a bit more clinical with it, especially at the end of the game, we could have taken the three points.”
In just 80 seconds, Danny Rose had given Town the ideal start. Harry Clifton created a gap down the right, and Rose, who was unmarked, crossed the ball for Rose to put it past Archie Mair at close range.
Town looked sharper yet, and before the Shrimps settled in, Holohan saw a shot well blocked by Farrend Rawson and Rose attempted a long shot from outside the box. For the home team, Jordan Slew had a golden opportunity, but his shot from 12 yards out was deflected inches wide for a corner.
Morecambe found it difficult to penetrate the strong Mariners defence, and as the half was coming to an end, Gwion Edwards had their first chance, a right-footed attempt that Harvey Cartwright parried away. Eight minutes into the second half, Slew’s well-placed header of a cross from the right gave the Shrimps their first response after Cartwiright mishandled it.
Slew stopped Edwards’ goal-bound attempt in the scramble for the win, and he later watched a cross strike the crossbar. In the fourth minute of added time, Eisa hammered a free-kick inches wide before laying on the cross that Holohan could not score from two yards out.
Ged Brannan, the manager of Morecambe, claimed that his team’s bad start cost them the three points. It was illegal to give Danny Rose as much room in the box as we did, therefore it was difficult to accept, he stated. Although there were many good things, we were unable to get the second goal, and they came close to winning in the end, so ultimately it was a point in the
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