Concentration turns to tilt at FA Trophy glory
Paul Buckle will ring the changes for Tuesday’s FA Trophy quarter-final at Grimsby as the Town boss looks to progress in another competition just days after the stunning victory over Norwich.
One change will be enforced – left-back Greg Taylor is cup-tied for the tie at Blundell Park, as is winger Scott Neilson, who was with the Mariners earlier in the season.
Simon Ainge, cup-tied for Saturday’s FA Cup tie, returns to the squad and, while the boss admitted he will make several changes, it won’t be a total overhaul.
“We will change it,” the boss said at his press conference on Monday. “We’ll change it for the better of the squad. We’ve spoken this morning and had a meeting and it’s all about being ready.
“The games are going to be coming thick and fast and we are going to have to change things. We’re going to have to trust it, and have a little bit of luck because there are so many games.
“We can’t make 11 changes [from Saturday], unless I bring the youth team players in. We’ve just got to keep thinking about it, deal with it and do the right things at the right time
“It’s not ideal chopping and changing it, but now, after beating Wolves and Norwich, there’s a belief in the whole squad. All we have to do is stick together, through good times and bad and if we do, we have a real chance of being successful.”
Blue Square Bet Premier leaders Grimsby stand in the Hatters’ way of a semi-final meeting with either Dartford or FC Halifax and Buckle is under no illusions of how tough the trip will be.
“It’s a tough ask,” he said. “It’s a quarter-final and if we can go through we find ourselves one team away from Wembley.
“We really want to win. There’s a big prize at stake.”