Pouts Back In Action!

By: Richard Lord
Date: 30/08/2002

ALAN Pouton is expected to make a return to the starting eleven away at Millwall tomorrow afternoon. The dynamic midfielder has been nursing a badly bruised toe but is likely to slot into a five-man midfield to face the Lions.

Speaking to the Grimsby Telegraph manager Paul Groves said: "Pouts is an important player to the club and we'll have to see how he is. He trained with us for the first time yesterday.

"If he's okay then it gives us competition for places and we'll be looking to go there and take the game to them." Groves looks likely to stick with the 4-5-1 formation with which he experimented against Portsmouth on Bank Holiday Monday.

The relatively tentative formation may be more suited to away games, and as proved against Pompey, it gives more defensive cover. The match at the New Den will be tight, just like all the other games the Mariners have been in this season.

Groves continued: "I look back at the games and they've all been fairly tight, the Norwich game apart, and there hasn't been a great deal in them.

"Everybody is putting the effort in and we've created some opportunities in games. Sometimes you just need a bit of luck and the result will come. But we're not panicking or anything like that."

Steven Kabba looks set to lead the line on his own once more, but there is some good news that Robert Taylor will remain at the club after it was discovered that he had not damaged his Achilles tendon.

Groves added: "The fact that it's only a calf strain is good news. But the fact that he'll still be out for at least two or three weeks is a disappointment."

And in further news is appears that the Ipswich game may not be postponed after all. The Tractor Boys may lose Icelandic international defender Herman Hreidarsson to West Brom meaning they will be left with just two full internationals.

But Portman Road boss George Burley has refused to confirm any rumours. Coyne and Barnard will be missing for Grimsby (Wales), while Matt Holland and Omir Karic (Republic of Ireland and Slovenia respectively) will be missing for Ipswich.

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