Rob Edwards relieved as Wolves survive mud bath at Grimsby to edge FA Cup tie
Santiago Bueno scored the only goal to secure a place in the fifth round.
Wolves boss Rob Edwards described his side’s 1-0 FA Cup win at Grimsby as an “aggressive game of headers and volleys” as the Premier League club survived a mud bath.
It was not pretty but Santiago Bueno’s second-half strike was enough for the Premier League strugglers to get past their League Two opponents in less than hospitable surroundings.
The Mariners had beaten Manchester United in the League Cup earlier in the season and smelled more top-flight blood going into the fourth round tie.
This would have been less of a scalp than their August win over United given Wolves’ problems this season, and the treacherous conditions at Blundell Park were a definite leveller as the quagmire pitch made it impossible to play any quality football.
“It was all set up for a cup upset. Tactics were out of the window, it was a throwback,” Edwards said. “It was an eye-opener for a lot of them when we arrive, the wind was sideways and there were puddles on the pitch.
“It was an aggressive game of headers and volleys. It was an interesting game, really difficult conditions, really challenging conditions, obviously for both teams.
“It was a different type of game, a bit of a throwback and one that really we could only win by being professional today and doing it right.
“It was an interesting day for some of our Brazilians that they won’t forget.
“We talked a lot in the last few days about mentality.
“It’s great that they were able to do what they did against Manchester United earlier in the season because we used that to respect the opposition, the conditions, the game, the competition. To do things that were in our control, and do them well. That’s what we did.”
The pitch survived two pre-match inspections and it took Wolves some time to adjust as Grimsby were the better team in the first half.
Charles Vernam and Tyrell Warren had good chances to open the scoring but Wolves improved after the break and Bueno’s finish on the hour proved enough.
Mariners boss David Artell says the pitch hindered his side’s chances.
“A traditional old school FA Cup tie, wasn’t it?” he said. “The pitch played a huge part in that, but certainly from my side, we prefer to play on a better pitch as we did against Man United.
“I don’t want people think I’m making excuses, but it doesn’t allow for a game that we want to play.
“But that’s the hand we are dealt, and I thought both teams coped with it fairly well.
“It’s never nice to lose. It’s horrible. But the same time, you put it into a bit of perspective that you are extremely close, and with fine margins on your side, on another day, you might have had a different outcome.”
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