Blooming Rose puts team first
DANNY Rose has insisted keeping Grimsby Town in the EFL will trump any remaining personal accomplishments this season.
The 30-year-old striker went into this weekend on 15 goals in all competitions – just two short of his best career haul of 17 with Mansfield six years ago.
Having joined the Mariners last summer after making 43 appearances during Stevenage’s promotion-winning campaign, he has been one of the more reliable performers during a difficult season at Blundell Park but is not seeking any individual plaudits.
“I’ve never had 20 goals in a season so reaching 15 was a nice milestone,” Rose admitted. “I got 17 once for Mansfield so that would be the one I’d be looking to top and I might have got there by now if I hadn’t missed a couple of games throughh injury.
“There’s still time to get 17 or 18 and that would be nice so I’ll try to keep chipping in as much as I can, but we’re at a point in the season where it doesn’t matter who scores as long as we get the points we needed to get away from the position we’re in.
“It’s not about personal achievements now it’s about getting over the line because this is a massive club that’s way tooo good to be in the Nationalal League, so we just want to do it for the fans and ourselves cause nobody wants a relebegation on their CV, especially from League Two.”
Return
Fourth-bottom Town have also had an “awful” time off the pitch this term, with the tragic January death of youthteam player Cameron Walsh after the car he was travelling in crashed into a canal followed a week later by the announce-ncement that midfielderder Callum Ainley had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
A welcome fillip has been provided, though, by Ainley’s return to the bench this month following surgery with skipper Rose telling The FLP: “Off the pitch, it’s been a tough season. Some awful stuff has happened, including Cal’s illness.
“He’s a great lad and we love him to bits, so it’s brilliant to see him on the mend. Ju
