'Everyone wants to crack on, and we all have the same goal of getting this club promoted'

Mark Shelton feels like he has his feet firmly under the table now at Grimsby Town following a whirlwind transfer spectacle in the summer.

The midfielder signed a season-long loan deal with the Mariners on deadline day of the summer transfer window from York City, whom he had only joined a couple of months prior.

Shelton had quickly been made surplus to requirements for the Minstermen following a managerial change at the club, and previously laid out plans had been ripped up, but he feels fortunate to have landed somewhere like Town.

Shelton said: “It’s not been easy having only joined York this summer and getting to know all the people there, and then having to start that process again here after six weeks.

“That said, I’ve come into a really hard-working and honest group here with no egos, nobody thinking they’re better than anyone else. Everyone wants to crack on, and we all have the same goal of getting this club promoted.

“Coming into a group like that makes it easier, especially in my situation this summer, but all the players and staff are on the same page and are working towards the same goal.”

Shelton has an approachable personality, which has helped his settling-in process with the Mariners, after a practice run in a new dressing room earlier in the summer with York.

He has gotten to know some of the backroom staff well with his recent injury and has moved closer to the area to remain in touch with the community he is playing for this season.

The 30-year-old explained: “I always want to give back when I can with people around the club and on the streets, so if people are nice to me, I will always be willing to give them my time for whatever it may be, because they all want to see us do well.

“I’ve just recently got a place here, and I see [Town supporters] out and about all the time when I’m out with my missus. When I first came in, we won a couple of games, which always helps with the early settling-in process to get that feel-good factor.

“Even on Sunday, even though it was a more difficult tie than some may have expected, we got through it, and we’re sat in a decent spot in the table following a good little run of results which hopefully continues this weekend.”

Things started well for Shelton at Town after a no-doubt disorienting summer, coming on and scoring with his first touch as a Grimsby player at Cheltenham Town and then starting in the wins over Bristol Rovers and Crawley Town.

He welcomed a new baby daughter the week before the Newport County game. The time he spent away from the training pitch ultimately caught up with him when he pulled his calf, and it put the brakes on a fast start at Town, but he is back and ready to go now.

“You want to start well, and I’ve had the injury, which has been really frustrating because no player wants to be a spectator. It’s all part of the game though, and as I’ve got older I’ve realised that more and I’m just happy to be back now.

“I got back a bit quicker than first expected, but it came from having a stop-start pre-season and then coming here and playing a few games on the bounce when I probably wasn’t quite ready to take on that load.

“Recovering from the injury has been like a mini- pre-season for me, doing a lot of running to build up that resilience again, and hopefully I’m ready for what’s to come now.”