The Underrated Strikers of Keith Alexander

March 22, 2021 Gary Galleries, Lincoln City 0

Martin Gritton

 

Credit LCFC

Gritton was well-known to Imps fans, having scored for Torquay on the final day of the 2002/03 season, a goal which could have robbed us of the play-off place we craved. it didn’t, and the following season his goals began to dry up.  That paved the way from Torquay to grimsby, which is where Keith signed him from in January 2006.

He arrived for a nominal fee from Blundell Park, having managed just six goals for them. He immediately announced his arrival at Sincil Bank by bagging a goal in a 3-2 win at Stockport. He failed to score again that season and Keith Alexander left at the end of the year, but Gritton remained. I suppose, in the context of the article, that is where we should finish, but he was a Keith-era striker who I liked, even if his legacy extended beyond the big man’s stay.

Early on in the following season, we played his old club Torquay and we were losing 1-0 into injury time. Paul Morgan got a dramatic equaliser, and then Martin Gritton got forward against his old club to bag a late, late winner. Cue delirium, and a certain status within Imps’ folklore.

Sadly, as the season progressed, his chances in the side diminished. Whilst Mark Stallard and Jamie Forrester were scoring for fun he was loaned out to Mansfield Town to get some game time. Whilst at Mansfield he played against Torquay and for the second time that season, and again hurt his old club, this time banging in a hat trick in a 5-0 victory.

He came back and curiously made two further Lincoln appearances in the two semi-final matches against Bristol Rovers. However, that was the last we saw of him as he left Lincoln. His record was just three goals in 9 league starts, but I always felt there was a player in there. In 2007/08 he hit seven goals before Bonfire Night for Macclesfield, but managed nine in the whole season, then struck 11 in 46 the next season across stints with the Silkmen and Chesterfield. Whatever you think, I liked the lad and believe had he signed for City a year earlier, he could have become a regular under Keith.