Sam Hatton so proud of unbeaten Grimsby Town run
GRIMSBY Town have not yet been beaten in the league when Sam Hatton has been in the team.
It's an eye-catching record and one that the full-back is proud of – especially after enduring what he admits was a stuttering start to life at Blundell Park.
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FIRST CHOICE: Sam Hatton
After his summer move from AFC Wimbledon, Hatton didn't feature in the Mariners' opening two games before making his debut in the home draw with Nuneaton.
He was part of the Town team that ground out a point at Wrexham the following weekend, but then didn't start for another 12 matches.
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Bradley Wood appeared to have claimed the right-back spot as his own until Hatton replaced him and scored two in the 5-1 hammering of Woking in November.
Since then, the pair have been pushing each other all the way for a place, with Hatton starting the last nine games.
"My season didn't start the way I'd expected, that's for sure," the 24-year-old told the Telegraph.
"But I've worked my way back in now and overall it's been a decent first-half of the season for me.
"It was frustrating at the start but it's about getting your head down and working hard and I did that.
"Since I've been in I don't think we've lost in the league yet.
"That's a nice personal record for me so I'm pleased with that."
On the battle with Wood for the right-back slot, Hatton added: "It's been a bit of competition between me and Brad.
"We get on really well in training and it's a bit of healthy competition between us. You need that in any team. If you get too comfortable and there's no-one pushing you, you can take things a little bit too easy.
"There's none of that here. People are nipping at your heels and it pushes you on – it has for me."
As well as that personal unbeaten league record, Hatton is also proud of the Mariners' lofty position in the Blue Square Bet Premier.
Being upwardly mobile is something he's become accustomed to, having been an integral part of three promotion-winning sides during his time with the Dons.
And he says Town are well on track to emulate that success.
"I'm happy with the way things are going," he said. "We're near enough top of the league and if we can push on now, we'll have a really good chance of promotion.
"But it's going to be tighter this season. The last couple of years, there has been a team that's run away with it, but that's not the case this season.
"It's going to go down to the wire and I'm looking forward to the run-in."
He added: "In the season when I went up with Wimbledon, it seemed like we'd either win or we'd lose.
"With Town, we've got a much better defence and we seem more solid and that's the basis that we'd build from.
"If you keep clean sheets, you're bound to pick up points and that's the way we've been going.
"I think we've given ourselves a great chance."
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