Cod Almighty | Article

by Charlie Cross

12 November 2024

Young Charlie Cross wandered around and finally found the somebody who could make his heart be true. Yes, nobody else gave him a thrill, even with all his faults, Charlie loves him still. But who?

When it was announced that the View from the Findus podcast was going to be releasing a 21st century XI I was overjoyed as it finally meant that we would be talking about players from my era. Yet when I read down the list of chosen candidates, an all too familiar feeling occurred as I only recognised three of the eleven names within the squad: Townsend, Disley and John McAtee. I find it interesting that only three players from the past 20 years have managed to get into a 21st century XI. For me it clearly shows one of two things: either the players we had in the early noughties were extremely good or we've been dreadful for the most part of that time. I use the word dreadful as a blanket term, but John McAtee is certainly far from being that; in fact the word simply doesn't apply.

I still make sure to always look out for the result of whichever team McAtee plays for, checking who the scorers were so the rest of England knows just how good a footballer he is.

Joining in 2021 from Scunthorpe United, McAtee was reunited with Paul Hurst for the third time in his career. Little was known about him when he joined aside from the fact he wanted nothing to do with Scunthorpe and they wanted nothing to do with him. Looking back, it is no wonder he quickly became a fan favourite: the determination and desire, the technical quality, alongside the already hating Scunthorpe part; it was almost as if he was born to be a Mariner.

He was the naughty boy of the town, being embroiled in the drink driving case that saw Ryan Sears leave the club "by mutual consent", and partying with disgraced former Love Island stars in Ibiza. It's safe to say there was never a dull day when John McAtee was around. Without this bad boy nature, would he have been half the player he was that season? Sometimes a player needs that arrogance and confidence in themselves to become as prolific as he was. He loved the attention and, more specifically, the attention that came from scoring goals. Whether it was his debut goal for Grimsby vs Weymouth or scoring the equalising goal in the play-off final to send us back to the football league he celebrated with the same vigour every time. Though I'm sure the goals against Wrexham and Solihull did mean just a tad more than others; they certainly did to me!

His game was so much more than goals though, and since he left Grimsby I have come to appreciate just how much he did for us, more even than I did before. His transitional play between the lines was often so good that he would get upset with his teammates if they hadn't anticipated that his rainbow flick over the opponent's head and half-volley inch-perfect defence-splitting pass putting them one on one with the keeper. To John, that was just normal.

I still don't think all the goals or the raw natural ability are the main reason why he became such a fan favourite. I put that down to his pure passion for the game. Every time he put on that black and white shirt, he gave everything, left it all out on the pitch like a child in a game of bulldog hounding down the ball, relentlessly trying to close down the defender and block the long ball forward. He oozed passion and, although most of the time him chasing the ball came to nothing, the sheer respect it brought him among the fans cannot be disputed. When the runs did come off though, you'd have thought we'd scored a goal every time the way Blundell Park erupted. Combine that unwavering desire with McAtee's technical ability and you’ve got yourself a real fan favourite.

So why did it go so right at Grimsby when it had gone so wrong only 30 minutes down the road? Well, we’re not Scunthorpe for one. I believe it was a mix of three things: maturing as he got older, the club being successful and his partnership with Ryan Taylor. And we're not Scunthorpe.

When he came to the club he was only 22, inexperienced at football league level and still to find his feet at any of his previous clubs. However, on his debut for Town he looked calm and like he'd done it a thousand times before. Perhaps that calls back to his arrogance in that he believed he was better than the team he was playing against (probably because he was) which allowed him to play some of his best football. This calmness continued all the way until the play-off final.

The most important reason why McAtee is remembered in the light he is today is his partnership with Ryan Taylor. Taylor was exactly what McAtee needed at this point in his career: a seasoned pro to guide him and keep him on the right track no matter how hard he tried to wander off. On the pitch their chemistry also worked exceptionally well, with Taylor playing in front and winning the headers against strikers twice his size, much akin to Danny Rose now. It allowed McAtee to flourish by playing just in behind Taylor, linking up play and picking up pockets of space to create chances and score goals. Taylor playing the more supporting role allowed McAtee to become the centrepiece of the team, something that was definitely evident when we lost him to injury halfway through 2021/22 which coincided with our worst run of form in that season. 

He was an exceptional player, and although I've spent the past thousand words  singing his praises, I believe I almost took just how good he was for granted. There isn't much I wouldn't give to have a John McAtee in the current Grimsby Town team. As much as we loved him, I believe the feeling was mutual. He bled black and white and still does! Rejecting contracts from both Lincoln and Wrexham cannot be down to anything but his loyalty to us because you know money won't have been an issue with Hollywood FC. 

He was the heartbeat of the team, the goals, the link up, the passion…I remember upon rewatching the playoff final the commentary team exclaimed "it always had to be him" when he scored the equaliser in the final. This sums up just how important and influential a player McAtee was to us, that it always had to be him.

Illustration courtesy of Alex Chilvers