Sutton United manager Steve Morison knows that at this stage of the season every match is important, and he backs his players to be able to handle the demands of the fixtures left, starting with Grimsby Town on Saturday.
Sutton welcome relegation rivals Grimsby to Gander Green Lane at the weekend in a League Two fixture that is set to be a proverbial six-pointer. The visitors sit 21st in the league table and seven points above the relegation places and have games in hand over most teams around them in the division. Meanwhile, the U’s are rooted to the bottom of the table in 24th and find themselves six points from safety.
The Mariners held play-off hopefuls AFC Wimbledon to a stalemate last weekend and made it three games unbeaten. Sutton were not as successful last week though as they lost to a struggling Tranmere Rovers side. It was a 1-1 draw the last time these sides met when Harrys Smith’s goal in first-half added time cancelled out Rekeil Pyke’s goal in the 19th minute.
U’s manager Steve Morison spoke to the club’s media and is anticipating that due to the style of football Grimsby play, his players must get at their opposition this weekend and be on the front foot.
“The reality is every game is huge. This is what football is all about, it’s about being able to handle the pressure as a player and (the players) should thrive on these moments.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to get a bit closer to them if we win the game but on the flip side it’s a good chance for them to create some distance from us but we’ll just focus on ourselves and what we need to do.” The 40-year-old continued.
“The lad’s spirits are good. For them (Grimsby) it’s a don’t lose the game situation so my feeling is that we’re going to have to beat them, so that’s going to be our plan.”
Writer’s View
Every game from now until the end of the season is massive for Sutton. Morison must be feeling the pressure at this stage of the season, especially under the circumstances his side are in at the moment. If the U’s were to lose on Saturday it would almost be certain that they will be playing in the National League next season and the 40-year-old’s third senior job in football won’t have gone as well as he’d have liked it to.
There are still favourable games coming up for the League Two side but if they don’t go on a near-unbeaten streak for the rest of the campaign, fans will have to accept their fate. It would be somewhat of a miracle if the U’s did stay up, but this is a fight that the Sutton manager won’t shy away from. On the other hand, if Grimsby can get something from the game the Mariners might just confirm their safety with games in hand on the teams around them still and a healthy seven points from the bottom two.
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