Name: Glynn Hurst
Age: 29
Position: Striker
No. of Appearances '04/05: 41(6)
Season Highlight: Finishing the season as the club’s top goal-scorer.
Season Lowlight: Suffering a ten game dry patch towards the middle of the season.
First Gavin Gordon; next Glynn Hurst. NCM would like to say these report cards have been a pleasure to write. Unfortunately, we can’t. You know how it is.
In fact, they just get more and more difficult at each turn after such a miserable campaign.
Hurst arrived at the ‘Lane as perhaps Gary Mills’ most renowned summer signings with many genuinely believing that the striker was to be the 20/25+ goal striker needed to fire ourselves out of League Two.
The excitement that surrounded Mills’ latest coup was understandable. Yet again, our manager’s highly convincing gum-flapping routine had lured another victim onto the rocks, with Hurst even believing – whilst avoiding meaningless clichés (well, almost) – that ‘taking one step back to take two forward’ would be a worthwhile settlement.
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And, in the beginning, he looked very much the part; although, unfortunately, like many of Mills’ signings before Hurst, the player that we signed just a year ago was to undergo a frightening drop in confidence as his Magpies career matured.
Whilst, at times, Hurst’s talents were obvious, it seemed that – all too often – we never really saw the best of the South African born striker.
The early days of Hurst – along with partner, Gavin ‘GG’ Gordon – in the side were nothing short of disastrous. The opening day at home to Chester saw countless chances missed and the newly obtained pair coming on the end of the grave criticisms from the inpatient Magpies faithful.
The trip to Bristol – which harvested the 29-year-old’s first goal for the club – saw a sprightly looking Hurst offer what we could so easily have seen for the remainder of the season and, on that evidence, perhaps we should have taken just that.
Whilst still suffering from early teething problems at the ‘Lane, Hurst had a useful knack of being able to badger the opponent to the max.
His bustling presence so often promised goals, as was demonstrated by the fifteen goals he scored over the course of the season.
Goal-scoring opportunities were never in short supply for Hurst and ‘GG’, but confidence, however, usually was.
When in high esteem, Hurst was as effective as any striker in League Two. A hat-trick at Rochdale, a brace at Macclesfield and a very work-man-like performance against then league-leaders Scunthorpe proved that the quality was there, but a combination of low self-belief and petulant abuse from his own fans severely dented Hurst’s confidence, and thus the goals soon dried up.
After the Scunthorpe performance, however, the Magpies were to see Hurst at his least dangerous. Between losing 5-0 to Macclesfield to finally breaking his duck on the road to Chester, Hurst had managed to go no fewer than eight weeks without finding the net.
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On his day, and these were often all-to rare, Hurst was as lethal as a player as we’ll have seen all season. But, more often than not, the former Barnsley man lacked self-belief and goals were often hard to come by.
As a result, the club’s fickle supporters soon got on his back. A recipe for disaster, as Hurst went from star signing to one of – besides pal Gordon – the chief victims of the club’s boo boys within his first season here.
Blatantly unhappy with life at the club – head hung and all – question marks continue to hang over the future of the 29-year old.
The questions of where Hurst lies in new boss Gudjon’s plans, whether or not he has a future and the question of his tolerance of the fans all remain unclear.
All, however, should become clearer over the close season…
Season Rating (out of 10): 5