 Buckley was sacked as manager in the early part of the following season, and when he was replaced by Mike Newell, Newell opted to bring in such players as Jean-Paul Kalala.Hunt found himself froze out of the first-team, until the late season when he managed to re-established his place in Grimsby's first-team following injuries to Kalala and Dean Sinclair.Hunt managed to hold a regular position down and became an integral part of the team that for the third season in a row managed to avoid relegation.