Grimsby Town have announced the return of Paul Hurst as first-team manager.
Hurst joins the club on a contract until June 2023.
Paul Hurst Makes Grimsby Town Return
📝 THEY’RE BACK!
Grimsby Town Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment of First Team manager, Paul Hurst and Assistant manager, Chris Doig!
Full story 👇https://t.co/VEikdzYMnu#GTFC pic.twitter.com/pOduFDLUZ8
— Grimsby Town F.C. (@officialgtfc) December 30, 2020
Previous Spell
Before departing for Shrewsbury Town in 2016, Hurst spent over five years with the Mariners, originally as joint-manager, with Rob Scott, before Scott’s sacking. Hurst remained in sole charge following that before leaving Grimsby for Shrewsbury, where he replaced Micky Mellon.
During his time at Grimsby, Hurst guided them to the Football League with promotion from the National League in 2015/16 and was twice a runner-up in the FA Trophy.
He did not get to see out the League Two campaign as Shrewsbury came calling just months into the season.
Career Since
Since leaving Grimsby, Hurst has had mixed spells. In his first full-season at Shrewsbury Town, he guided them to the League One play-offs – with the help of Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson – who has come on leaps and bounds since working with Hurst. The Shrews fell just short in the play-offs, losing the final in extra time to Rotherham United.
Hurst then made the move to Ipswich Town, though that didn’t last long – his tenure being the shortest of any manager in the club’s history. He then had eight months in charge at Scunthorpe United before being sacked once again.
He will hope his return to familiar surroundings at Grimsby Town can get his managerial career back on the road.
Current Situation
Hurst arrives with Grimsby sat in 22nd place in League Two. They have 20 points to their name and with the league so tight, there is ample opportunity to climb up the table in the coming months. Having won just two of their last ten, Hurst will be looking to get some wins on the board.
Surreal to Be Back
Hurst told the club website: “It’s a bit surreal to be back! It brings back a lot of nice memories too. It’s great to see a lot of familiar faces here still and I have enjoyed it.
“No one wants to see the club where it is. There is no doubt that it is a perilous position. There is no point hiding away from that fact and after being a big part in helping the club get back into the league, I can hopefully play a big part in making sure that we are still there come the end of the season.”
Necessity for January Additions
Chairman Philip Day added: “I am delighted that Paul has agreed to join us as manager. He needs no introduction from me. We can look back to his five and a half years as manager between 2011 and 2016 and the success we enjoyed under his leadership including four visits to Wembley Stadium.
“The consortium has been involved and consulted on Paul’s appointment and is very supportive of the board’s decision.
“As Paul has identified there will be a necessity to sign players in the forthcoming transfer window, I am pleased that the consortium will again be involved in decisions relating to this and we welcome the added value this will bring.”
Hurst replaces Ian Holloway, who resigned over the ownership situation.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
