Grimsby Town’s recent back-to-back home defeats to Notts County and Salford City were a setback for Head Coach David Artell and his attempts to steer his side into the League Two play-off places.
One positive to come out of a difficult week, however, was the impressive debut of new recruit Géza Dávid Turi, who has already shown glimpses of what Mariners fans can expect from the talented midfielder over the coming years.
Having previously gone eight games unbeaten and finding themselves on the brink of the top seven in the fourth-tier promotion race, an injury-hit and tired Grimsby side ran out of steam, as goals in the second half of both matches saw Artell’s men come unstuck on what has become a difficult playing surface at Blundell Park.
Turi, signed from Faroese top-flight side Víkingur in January for an undisclosed fee, made his Mariners bow against County, instantly adapting to his new surroundings, with his calmness in possession and his reading of the game marking him out as one of Grimsby’s best performers on the night.
Still building his fitness following his arrival from part-time football, Turi played the opening hour of what turned out to be a 2-0 defeat against promotion-chasing Notts, but the Hungarian-born 23-year-old, who now has a Faroese passport and is set to make his international debut for the Nordic nation in the upcoming World Cup qualifier’s against Czechia and Montenegro, excited the Mariners faithful and gave them reason to believe that they’d made another very shrewd long-term investment.
Artell’s men will miss Turi this weekend as the midfielder heads off to join the Faroe Islands’ national squad
Having recently acquired the necessary paperwork and clearances to formally be classed as a Faroe Islands citizen, Turi has subsequently been called up to their national team for the first time for the upcoming fixtures as the minnows look to punch above their weight against considerably stronger opponents.
The experience will surely be beneficial in the long-term for both the player himself and Artell in terms of development. League Two players being exposed to that calibre and quality of football is quite a rare occurrence, and will stand the midfielder in good stead as he continues to adapt to life outside his adopted homeland.
Turi has already shown he can handle the physical side of the English game, while his technical qualities look a class apart on first viewing. However, the former Víkingur man’s absence for this weekend’s clash with an unpredictable Newport County side at Blundell Park will be felt as Grimsby look to get back on track with their play-off push.
The current spate of injuries means the Mariners are short of options, and Turi’s composure in the middle of the park would have helped Artell’s side control possession more comfortably in what is a crucial game, where a win could see them leapfrog Crewe Alexandra and Colchester United into the top seven, depending on various results.
