Grimsby Town returned to winning ways on Saturday afternoon, helped massively by the impressive performance from Premier League loanee Luca Barrington.
The Mariners made the trip to Salford City with the aim of bouncing back after back-to-back defeats against Doncaster Rovers (league) and Lincoln City (EFL Trophy) and the travelling supporters were rewarded almost immediately after kick-off.
Despite a 15th-minute equaliser by Cole Stockton and being backs to the wall for a large portion of the match, Barrington was on hand just before half-time to grab the all-important winner to keep David Artell’s side within touching distance of the League Two play-off places.
Barrington at the double
Following an eye-catching 2023/24 season for Brighton Hove Albion’s U21s, Barrington was sent on loan to Grimsby Town during the summer transfer window, hoping to earn regular first-team experience and build upon his impressive outing during the last campaign which saw him score four times and assist 11 more for the Seagulls.
The 19-year-old opened the scoring inside the opening 60 seconds following a good piece of play from Danny Rose saw Barrington slot the ball through the legs of Jamie Jones to make it 1-0.
Just before the break, Barrington picked up his and Grimsby’s second after receiving the ball on the edge of the penalty area, before cutting inside his man and unleashing an effort which deflected into the back of the Salford net.
Barrington earned a Fotmob match rating of 8.9 (player of the match) following his impressive performance, whilst also averaging a 77% passing completion rate, three duel wins and a chance creation throughout the 80 minutes that he played.
Can Grimsby Town make it back-to-back wins?
Before Grimsby’s double defeat, they were on a run of three straight victories which is the first time the Mariners have achieved that since their 2021/22 play-off campaign when they beat Notts County (quarter-final), Wrexham (semi-final) and Solihull Moors (final) to seal their promotion back into the EFL.
Standing in their way next weekend is Mat Sadler’s Walsall, a side that went into Saturday’s matches as the league leaders though they didn’t play after their match was postponed due to international call-ups.
Walsall have been a dangerous threat during the 2024/25 campaign thus far and are currently the joint-top scorers with Notts County though the Saddlers have played a game less.
With Justin Obikwu making a return from injury, Icelandic winger Jason Dadi Svanthorsson picking up an assist and Barrington grabbing a brace, Grimsby Town will likely head into their next fixture with a restored level of confidence which could make for an entertaining afternoon of football.