By McAtee and JMD wonder strikes seal convincing Grimsby win
Two wonder goals from John McAtee and Jordan Maguire-Drew sealed all three points as Grimsby emphatically beat a poor Altrincham side 2-0.
John McAtee opened the scoring just after the half time break when his edge-of-the-box volley emphatically beat a scrambling Tony Thompson in The Robins’ net.
It was no less than Grimsby deserved, having dominated the first half and ending the first 45 minutes with a Shaun Pearson header being cleared off the line.
The goal gave the Mariners confidence to build from and they never looked in doubt for the win in the second half.
McAtee and Maguire-Drew gave the Altrincham back line no time to rest as they constantly harried them with high energy pressing, often leading to the goalkeeper kicking the ball out of play.
Erico Sousa impressed on the wing with his dribbling technique but lacked the final ball that could have killed the game sooner.
McAtee came close to a second on the hour mark and Pearson had another effort cleared off the goal line.
The game was put beyond all doubt seven minutes from the end when Jordan Maguire-Drew scored a sensational left-footed curler into the top corner from outside the box.
It was the winger’s second goal for the Mariners and will be talked about as a potential goal of the season contender.
Altrincham looked to break in a route-one style but the Grimsby defence was often alert for it and Max Crocombe’s goal was rarely threatened.
Debutants Andy Smith and Danny Amos impressed on either side of the back four, making good overlapping runs and being capable to deal with their defensive duties well.
Midfielder Scott Burgess also made his debut five minutes from the end, replacing Mariners’ main man McAtee as Blundell Park sang his name.
The win sees Grimsby climb up to ninth in the table, just three points outside the play-off places, and provides some respite for manager Paul Hurst after a frustrating few months.
