Grimsby 2
(Clifton 39′, Abrahams 90+2′ pen)
United 1
(Hall 28′)
United slipped to defeat at Blundell Park, as a converted stoppage time penalty saw Grimsby snatch the points.
It was United skipper Asa Hall who fired United into the lead on 28 minutes, before eleven minutes later the hosts levelled through Harry Clifton. Just as it looked United were going to share the points, a penalty converted by substitute Tristan Abrahams in the second minute of stoppage time prevented this.
United Manager Gary Johnson made one change to the side that drew with Eastleigh just five days ago with Tom Lapslie returning in the place of Keelan O’Connell who was named on the bench.
In the 2nd minute good play up the left flank between Dan Martin and Danny Wright saw the latter get a shot on target from just outside the left edge of the Grimsby box, but Max Crocombe was able to gather.
Four minutes later the home side nearly broke through as Harry Clifton was played through on goal into the left edge of the box, but he scuffed a low shot wide.
In the 10th minute Armani Little intercepted a Grimsby pass in their own half and drove forward before trying to play Wright or Connor Lemonheigh-Evans through on goal, but the home side were able to hurriedly fire the ball from beneath their feet away from danger.
It was United who went closest inside the first fifteen, when in the 14th minute good play up the right flank saw Lemonheigh-Evans square the ball, evading Wright in the centre but finding Little beyond the far post whose shot, that appeared to be heading towards the top left corner, was saved by Crocombe.
The host’s first chance came in the 21st minute when a Clifton shot from the edge of the United box was comfortably saved by Shaun MacDonald. Three minutes later Gary Johnson’s men went close again. Dan Martin drove up the left wing before his cross forced a block by the retreating Grimsby defence. The resulting corner was curled in by Little and found Joe Lewis at the near post who flicked a header just over.
United’s persistence paid off and in the 28th minute after going close a number of times in the first 25 minutes, it was the men in turquoise who broke the deadlock. A corner from Little was headed down by Wright and fell for Hall who was able to fire into the net to give United the lead.
Eight minutes later the Mariner’s went close to levelling. A half clearance fell in the path of Sean Scannell whose low-driven effort towards the bottom left corner had to be carefully watched and pushed around the post by MacDonald.
After a panicked clearance in the Grimsby box denied Lemonheigh-Evans a goalscoring opportunity on 39 minutes, the home side broke on the counter attack. A ball from the left flank was squared for Clifton who drilled his shot into the bottom left corner.
United went close to reestablishing the lead just before half time when a great cross from the right by Stephen Duke-McKenna found an unmarked and advancing Lemonheigh-Evans in the centre, but the midfielder couldn’t quite catch the header right and put it wide. Moments later down the other end a corner found Micheal Efete at far post, but his header went wide of the right hand post.
MacDonald was forced into action twice early on in the second half. After coming out of his box to clear a dangerous ball forward, United’s number 37 made a great save to deny Efete from close range. In the 55th minute it was the home side who went close to taking the lead after a shot from Ryan Taylor from just outside the box was denied by the woodwork.
The second half continued with a lot of end to end play, with very few clear chances for either side in the following 20 minutes of the half. Little had an effort go wide in the 70th minute, United also went close in the second half when Ben Wynter played a dangerous cross across the face of goal, but unfortunately no one was on hand to finish.
Gary Johnson’s men defended well under pressure, in the 80th minute Clifton shot just over goal, before two minutes later Scannell was denied by the woodwork. After battling hard for the remaining eight minutes, Little was deemed to have fouled Taylor just inside the United box and the referee pointed to the spot. Abrahams stepped up and sent MacDonald the wrong way, firing his penalty low and into the bottom corner to condemn United to only their third defeat of the calendar year.
United: 37. Shaun MacDonald, 2. Ben Wynter, 3. Dan Martin, 4. Tom Lapslie (19. Klaidi Lolos 78′), 7. Connor Lemonheigh-Evans, 8. Asa Hall (c), 9. Danny Wright, 10. Armani Little, 15. Stephen Duke-McKenna, 21. Dean Moxey (5. Ali Omar 87′), 31. Joe Lewis.
SUBS NOT USED: 1. Mark Halstead, 16. Keelan O’Connell, 29. Joe Felix.
Yellow Cards: Lemonheigh-Evans 41′
Grimsby: 21. Max Crocombe, 2. Michael Efete, 6. Luke Waterfall (c), 11. Sean Scannell, 15. Harry Clifton, 22. Danny Amos, 25. Jordan Maguire-Drew (19. Max Wright 63′), 26. Andy Smith, 28. Gavan Holohan, 29. Ryan Taylor (5. Shaun Pearson 90+2′), 35. Joey Jones (9. Tristan Abrahams 86′).
SUBS NOT USED: 4. Ben Fox, 12. Mani Dieseruvwe.
Attendance: 5,826 (125 away)