Town stopped the run of defeats in midweek and hope to get back to winning ways this afternoon

Grimsby Town are feeling a little bit better about themselves ahead of this afternoon’s clash away at Gillingham, following a spirited performance at Rochdale in midweek.

The Mariners ended their four-game league loss streak with a 2-2 draw on Tuesday night, as a bruised and battered Town squad showed boss David Artell they have not stopped fighting.

With almost three expected-goals-worth of opportunities, they once again did not struggle in the chance-creation department, but the killer instinct of a team on song was lacking.

Jamie Walker thought he had won the game for Town on Tuesday night with a well-taken goal, his first of the season, to give his side a 2-1 lead with less than 20 minutes to go, but they were left wondering what could have been in the end.

Rochdale fought back for a point, but there was still encouragement in the overall performance, which Walker himself believes was a statement of intent from the players amid a difficult spell.

The Scotsman said: “There was a bit of disappointment that we didn’t get the three points we felt the performance deserved, but it was great to stop the rot in a sense with the draw.

“I think judging from the fans’ reaction all throughout the game, and afterwards, they saw a team that were giving everything to win the football match. It was unfortunate that we didn’t in the end, but the performance was a good reminder of what we’re capable of.

“I just don’t think we’ve had the luck of the draw at key moments during this run, but that’s the sport; you don’t always get what you feel you deserve.

“It’s not a new situation for a team to be in terms of results not going your way and injuries, so I just think we need to remain focused, remain calm because we are the only people that can turn things around.

“We’ve still got a good group of lads. For example, Joe [Foulkes] came in on Tuesday, and I thought he was absolutely brilliant, so everyone who travels down to Gillignham will be itching to play and help get us back on track.”

Artell has said positive results will soon follow the performances his side have been putting in, particularly with the chances they are creating. Putting them all away has been the main issue, and the uncertainty on that front has led to mistakes in other areas.

It has been a negative feedback loop in some sense, but the party line is that the team is on the right track to turn things around, much like they did after a poor run at a similar point last season.

Grimsby assistant boss Tom Culshaw added: “When you’re creating chances, and big ones in front of goal as we are, that’s definitely a positive thing, so we have to take that into the next game.

“If we put a few of them away, then things could change for us very quickly, but we need to make sure that we’re defensively secure as well.

“The hard work has to continue off the ball with our pressing, and then be exciting with the ball, and continue to create the quality of chances we have.

“They’ll [Gillingham] be a tough team to play against, well organised, well-drilled as evidenced by their home record so far this season, os it’s up to us to break them down.”

The recent head-to-head record against this weekend’s opponents bodes well for the Mariners, with no losses in their last six meetings with Gillingham, with their last trip to Priestfield in April ending in a 4-1 victory as Artell’s men charged to play-off qualification.

Gills boss Gareth Ainsworth believes his side have tightened up since then, and with just one defeat in six home league games thus far, they will not roll over for Town in their pursuit of a first win in over a month.