GRIMSBY Town joint boss Rob Scott has hit out at what he called 'bitter' and uninformed comments from Alfreton boss Nicky Law.
Speaking after the Mariners' 2-0 victory over the Derbyshire club on Tuesday, Law – a former Town manager himself – appeared to take a swipe at his old club.
And he revealed that he had been trying to sign striker Ross Hannah before the Mariners swooped to capture the prolific frontman on a three-month loan deal.
Commenting on Scott Neilson's opening goal in the Chesterfield Post, Law said: "I thought the first half was 'even-stevens', but when you get £1,000-a-week players, that's what they do.
"That's what Neilson has done in the first half. There is nothing in the game, the only difference between the two teams is that goal."
He added: "I tried to get Ross Hannah in for six months, but could never afford him.
"That was the difference between the two teams, at the top end of the pitch where you pay your money."
Speaking yesterday, Scott refuted Law's comments, adding that the loan signings of Hannah and Neilson only served to underline the attraction of Grimsby Town for players in the leagues above.
"I've read some comments from Alfreton's camp about money.
"I don't know where Nicky (Law) gets his information from, but it's incorrect," he said.
"He said some things in particular about Scott Neilson after the game.
"Scott is a good player and whatever he's getting paid is irrelevant.
"I'm not going to start telling everyone what we're paying players.
"The truth of it is that we've got a good relationship with the manager at Crawley and we've now got a very, very good player on our hands in Scott Neilson as a result.
"The signings of both Scott and Ross just show that we've got a good network of contacts in the game.
"We've got good relationships with people and we are able to call on them and attract players from higher leagues."
He added: "That's the attraction that Grimsby Town have.
"When you're a player at a club in a higher league and looking, Grimsby is one of those clubs that you'd want to go to.
"I think Nicky is maybe a bit bitter that we managed to secure Ross because he had been trying to get him for a while.
"But, ultimately, in this day and age, it comes down to where players want to play their football.
"Fortunately for us, Ross wanted to come here – he liked the set-up and the look of Grimsby and I'm pretty sure every player would do, even in the league above."
Looking ahead to tomorrow's trip to AFC Telford, Scott added: "We're unbeaten away from home and we want to go on another run."
