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Paul Hurst sacking by Grimsby Town is sad end to memorable reign

Paul Hurst’s departure from his role as manager at Grimsby Town brought an end to a truly memorable second stint at the club, that hopefully has laid the foundations for a successful future.

It goes without saying that the season has not gone as planned for the Mariners, with just three wins in 20 in all competitions and a fourth straight league defeat. But given Hurst’s achievements, it is a brave decision from Jason Stockwood and Andrew Pettit, who will hope that they have made the move at the right time to stop the slide – and to make sure the hard work and achievements of the last two seasons do not unravel.

Just as he will have taken most of the blame and ultimately took the fall for the poor start to this campaign, Hurst deserves just as much credit for what the team has done since Stockwood and Pettit took the reins back in May 2021. Football is all about the memories and, particularly for the younger generation of Town supporters, Hurst has provided the best of them.

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His first spell at the club ended with him bringing Town back to the EFL. He did it again at the first time of asking in 2022, in the most dramatic of circumstances, which made the achievement even more special.

Last season, any concerns about the team adapting to League Two again were alleviated quickly with a highest finish in almost two decades. And Hurst would be written into the history books for the FA Cup quarter-final run alone, with Town defying the odds on multiple occasions.

It would have been easy to ignore the call to come back to the club in December 2020, when Town were in quite a hole both on and off the pitch. And while he was not able to save them from falling back out of the Football League, Hurst made sure that the wave of optimism that came with new owners was not wasted.

There was pressure to get the club promoted when he did it the first time back in 2016, and there was pressure again at various points of the play-off campaign, but Hurst remained level-headed through it all. Some might ask if Hurst was given enough time to turn things around this time, though the decision should mean that his time at the club will only be remembered positively.

Whoever comes in will be inheriting a team that has lost its way and is clearly in need of fresh ideas, but the foundations are there to take the club to heights that they have not seen in some time – if the short-term issues can be dealt with quickly and effectively. While things went wrong in the end, Hurst should always be remembered for the right reasons.

Original story at https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/

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