'The main enjoyment was from seeing Blundell Park rocking the way that it was'

Joe Foulkes wished he could take in the energy from the Blundell Park crowd more as he and his Grimsby Town teammates charged to victory over York City at the weekend.

The Mariners defender instead had to have his full focus on the football as the team blitzed the visitors in a 12-minute second half spell, scoring three times in that moment in a 5-2 home victory.

It was Foulkes’ first league start at Blundell Park having come into the lineup last week for the games away at Rochdale and Gillingham, and it was a day to remember on Saturday for all the right reasons.

The performance and result on Saturday provided enough enjoyment for the players, but if he could have taken a moment to step back and soak the occasion in, then he would have.

“The main enjoyment was from seeing Blundell Park rocking the way that it was,” said Foulkes. “We gave the spectators from both sides a great game to watch and it was great game to be a part of.

“It’s always something you take for granted as a footballer I think because you're not really in the headspace to take in the atmosphere and everything around you when you’re in the heat of battle, focused on the game.

“We didn’t quite have the right approach in the first half but at half-time the coaches noticed what we needed to change and we went over some clips to illustrate what we could do better, and we executed it in the second half.

“It was the same at Gillingham really in terms of going in level at the break and needing something different to give us the edge. We’ve come out in the second half of both these games and been really strong and that’s something to build on.

“We didn’t quite have it our way in the first half, and they enjoyed quite a bit of the ball in attacking areas, but it was a press and out-of-possession work in the second half that caught them out in the end.”

Following four straight defeats in the league, Town have since taken seven points from nine, scoring nine goals in back-to-back wins over Gillingham and York.

They have returned to the top seven in the League Two standings and confidence is flowing again, with a new system first brought in out of necessity seemingly freeing certain aspects of Town’s play up and players like Foulkes stepping up in a time of need.

He added: “We knew when we were going through that rough patch as a team that something had to change, and the biggest change has been in our mentality.

“I think we’ve gone into the last couple with more confidence, less fear and that has fed into the technical aspects like putting chances away as we have done in the last two.

“[The change in shape] has been good, and I think it makes us more dynamic, but its more about players stepping up and doing their job, some playing in roles they are less familiar with.

“Obviously, since I’ve come into the team, the form has improved, but I would never say I’m the reason for that because it is down to the team and how the mentality has changed from that losing run.”