Micky Adams accused his Port Vale players of ‘hiding’ after their home draw with struggling Torquay.
The Valiants came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw that saw them drop to 14th in the League Two table and Adams wasn’t happy with what he saw.
"I was really disappointed with our first half performance," Adams told The Sentinel. "We didn't have enough brave people out there who wanted the ball. People were hiding, and you can't have that at home.
"I see a different group of people when we are away from home. It seems they feel the crowd are going to have a go if they make a mistake, and that's disappointing.
"We took it to them in the second half, got punished for one mistake, but really we could have gone on and won the game."
Not a good start for the new Grimsby boss
Meanwhile, Stuart McCall was in buoyant mood after Bradford spoiled Neil Woods’ evening in his first game as Grimsby manager.
The Bantams romped to a 3-0 victory that pushed them to within two points of the play-off zone and left their hosts firmly entrenched in the drop zone.
He told the Bradford Telegraph & Argus: “We didn’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves but we knew this was a game we had to win. We’ve done that with an accomplished performance.
“We went back to the away system that has served us so well. Bully (Lee Bullock) did a lot of good unseen work for us and the interplay of Evans, Hanson and Whaley up front was always a threat.
“They all had chances in the game and behind them I thought the midfield was strong. We’ve also defended solidly at the back and Simon Eastwood made a couple of good saves.
“We’ve got to be stronger and harder to score against and beat. I’m absolutely delighted with the clean sheet, three goals and three points.”
