Cod Almighty | Match Stats

Tuesday 11 March 2008

Division 4

Grimsby Town 4 Hegarty (29), Butler (43), Bolland (55), Taylor (85)

Barnet 1 Akurang (80)

Attendance: 3325

"Our man of the match was Bolland, who was fantastic. He has not put a foot wrong and his energy was fantastic. It's the best game he has had since I joined the club." Lord Alan Buckley has it dead right. Apart from the bit in the first half where Bolland was free on the right of Barnet's goal, preparing to head across the six-yard box for an inrushing Town forward to open the scoring, only to slip comically in the style of Norman Wisdom, Bolland marauded omnipotently all night.

"I thought we were poor in the second half. We have won 4-1, but I expected more from us in the second half."

"We have been comprehensively beaten by a very good team. But I think we have made some errors that you don't want to see on a football pitch."

Beaten to every header in their own box, always allowing Town's midfield the space to dictate the play, the Bees were quite miraculously bad once again. Their several missing players tonight must have been superb for the rest of the season, because on this showing it remains a mystery beyond all human understanding how they retain their Football League status. We love you, Barnet. Don't ever change!

Mr SJ Bratt (West Midlands)
Two or three unfathomably Deadmanesque decisions long after the outcome of the match had been decided should not detract from a competently inconspicuous performance. We reckon seven out of ten. More like him please, the Football League!

Aside from the resurgence of Paul Bolland, Hegarty's and Taylor's goals were created marvellously and finished excellently. Till contributed a fabulous cameo. And Town are in the top ten for the first time since Russell Slade's dinosaur-sized back four stalked the Earth!