I Am Back Says Macca!!

By: Bill Osborne
Date: 23/01/2002

GRIMSBY Town captain John McDermott made his first appearance in four months for the Mariners' Reserves today and insists that the fight for first division survival is far from lost. "We have to win our home games and Rotherham next week is a must-win. We have to take three points from them.

Talking to the Grimsby Telegraph he said: "Everyone has got to stand up and be counted and as long as we get the results it doesn't matter how we play. What we have to do is press teams a bit more. When we go forward we need a few more runners and be willing to take a gamble - especially away from home."

"At the moment we're not playing for safety, but we're trying too hard to make sure we don't concede. We have to go for it and see what we get when we're away from home."

Macca said that it is now or never for the string of experienced players who have spent huge chunks of the season in the treatment room.

"We need a few people back in the side. I just have to give it a go.

"I know that if I do it again that's me out for the season, but it's no good coming back on the final day of the season 100 per cent when we're already relegated. I know when I come back, it has to be for good."

"There's no time to ease people in. We could if we were mid-table in an ideal world. But we're not and we've got to roll our sleeves up and bite the bullet."

"I'm just looking forward to getting back on the pitch. I want to help as much as I can.

"I've been back training for three weeks now and, to start with, the adrenaline gets you through it, then the fitness comes after that."

Bradley Allen, also played his second game of his comeback today.

This is good news for Paul Groves with the team captain returning and other players leaving the treatment room. With Macca's skills in the team it could make great difference to the fortunes of the Mariners in their battle against relegation.

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