Paul Hurst's praise for Luke Waterfall after Grimsby Town skipper's late winner at Rochdale

Grimsby Town manager Paul Hurst has heaped the praise on his captain Luke Waterfall after the centre-back netted the winning goal for the Mariners in their first league win of the season at Rochdale.

The 32-year-old scored nine goals from the defence last season for Town in their promotion season from the National League and has scored a goal in consecutive games after finding the net against Crewe Alexandra in midweek.

His dominant presence at set-pieces makes him a goal threat in every dead ball situation, and he showed that again against Rochdale with a powerful header from an Anthony Glennon corner delivery.

It has been a monumental turnaround for Waterfall at Town after a disappointing 2020/21 campaign from a personal and squad perspective as Grimsby were relegated from the EFL. However, having powered his team back to League Two for the first time of asking and signing a new two-year deal in the summer, things are looking very different for Waterfall, and his manager recognises this.

Hurst said: “It’s not just about the goals he scores; it’s the attention he attracts, which creates space for someone else. I overheard discussions in the Crewe game about trying to double mark him.

“Luke will always say that he fancies himself whenever the ball comes into the box, and he would admit the last time we were in the league was probably his worst season, and aside from that, he has been fantastic.

“If the environment he was in [during the relegation season] and the frustrations he had with other players not pulling their weight can all weigh down on a person. I had open and honest conversations with Luke after that season, and he came back the following year in fantastic shape and had a brilliant season.

“Today is another