Grimsby Town's Harvey Rodgers Shines as Match-Winner in Opening Day Triumph
In a thrilling opening day match, Grimsby Town's Harvey Rodgers shone as the match-winner, scoring twice to secure a 1-0 victory over Exeter. Manager David Artell praised Rodgers for his performance, highlighting his potential to score upwards of six to eight goals and assist the same number of times this season.
The 29-year-old defender, who was named Grimsby's player of the year and made the League Two team of the season last term, has started the campaign strong with two goals in as many games. His first-half strike at Blundell Park settled the match, and Artell challenged him to be a greater attacking contributor this year.
Artell said, 'I said to him that he can score upwards of six to eight, and he can assist the same number with the amount of great positions he gets into. He deserves a huge amount of credit for the progress he has made over the last couple of years, while still having lots to improve upon. He gets up and down the pitch tremendously, so he must be a nightmare to play against for the opposition's winger.'
Grimsby Town, who lost in the play-off semi-finals in May, are hungry to get better this time around. Artell expects a lot more from his team in the coming weeks and months, noting that they deserved the win and should score more with greater match sharpness and a better feel for the game.
Exeter City, who were relegated from the third tier last term, faced a tough start to the season. Manager Matt Taylor said, 'It was a disappointing result, and there were certain parts of the performance that I didn’t like. Some parts were okay, and we created a few good chances, but we made too many mistakes, and it is a poorly-defended set-piece which has cost us.'
Despite the early setback, Exeter City will look to improve their performance as the season progresses.
