Mariners allow winger to return to Walsall ahead of Luton cup clash

Grimsby Town have confirmed that winger Brendan Kiernan has returned to his parent club Walsall ahead of their trip to Luton Town in the FA Cup this weekend, after his loan spell at Blundell Park came to an end.

The 30-year-old moved to the Mariners in the summer, going on to make 28 appearances, scoring four goals, including two as Town beat Plymouth Argyle 5-1 in the first round of the competition.

It means Grimsby could be short of attackers at Kenilworth Road, with on-loan Luton forward John McAtee cup-tied, Aribim Pepple now back in Bedfordshire, both Ryan Taylor and Lewis Richardson injured and Preston loanee Mikey O’Neill having already played for the Lilywhites in an earlier stage.

On his departure, manager Paul Hurst told the club’s official website: “It’s been a tough decision to make but we’ve decided to let Brendan go back to Walsall.

“He’s done well for us over the period of time when he was here on loan, scoring a few goals and playing in a few different positions.

“However, I think we need to freshen the squad up and with limited loans available to us, that’s the decision that we have made.

"We genuinely wish Brendan well for his future career and thank him for the time he has spent with us.”