Stick or twist for Paul Hurst as he ponders Grimsby Town formation for Northampton Town

In last weekend’s League Two opening day defeat to Leyton Orient, Paul Hurst deployed his Grimsby Town team in a different set-up to recent times to start the game. This change was primarily out of necessity, bringing in another midfielder and using John McAtee as the centre-forward to compensate for the lack of a fully-fit striker.

Ryan Taylor did come on as a second-half substitute, and Hurst suggested he could be in line for a start for the Northampton Town game as he slowly phases him back into the team. The Mariners manager admitted that the way he sets up mostly relies on who he has available to him, so if Taylor is ready to start, or Grimsby do manage to get another centre-forward through the door before Saturday, then we will likely see a switch back to the 4-2-3-1.

Which midfielder will make way for Taylor is another question. Gavan Holohan suffered a head injury in the last game, but it was minor enough that he was able to play through it with some bandaging, so it is unlikely to rule him out for the Northampton game. Bryn Morris looks to be the more mobile and adept at playing the double pivot out of him and Kieran Green, so it would make sense that the former would line up alongside Holohan.

However, some good aspects came from the formation switch, whether Hurst intended to do it in the first place or not. In the first half of the game against Orient, Town had a lot of joy on the wings, getting their full-backs to push high and wide when they were in possession. Their best chance of the game saw left-back Anthony Glennon set up right-back Michee Efete, and switching to the narrow midfield shape cleared the channels for the both to attack at will, with the wingers tucking in at times.

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