Grimsby Town’s six-game unbeaten run in the league came to an unceremonious end at the hands of Harrogate Town, who ran out 2-1 victors at Blundell Park.
In the last game before Christmas, the Mariners were never able to get going with the visitors scoring a goal in each half to take all three points. Town fired late in the contest through Kieran Green, but it was too little too late in the end.
David Artell named an unchanged team from last weekend’s draw at Newport County, with Harry Clifton marking his 250th appearance for the club, keeping his place ahead of Gavan Holohan who made a great impact off the bench in South Wales.
It was a lively start in the first couple of minutes from Town, moving the ball quickly up the pitch when they won possession, but they could not get off a shot of note in the opening 15 minutes, with Harrogate doing a good job of stifling any attacks.
Harrogate themselves were not creating much in the first half, but Abraham Odoh was gifted two shots at Harvey Cartwright, with Town giving the ball away just outside their box. Odoh broke into the area from the left channel and fired a low shot on target, with Cartwright getting down low to his right twice, the second time to keep out the rebound.
The visitors’ high press caused Grimsby a lot of problems in the first period, but it was from a set piece that they broke the deadlock, with former Mariner Liam Gibson claiming the final touch from an inswinging corner bundled in at the near post.
Town could not manage a single shot on target in the first 45, which would have easily been the most frustrating period of play for Artell during his short tenure but also the most revealing in a negative sense.
Grimsby needed a response in the second half, and they got an equaliser almost instantly after the break, with Rose heading over from close range, the cross from the right flank having too much pace on it for the forward to control.
The Mariners were not able to sustain any sort of forward pressure after the initial burst of energy, similar to the first half, with Harrogate continuing to press high up the pitch and cut off the passing lanes into the midfield for the defenders.
The visitors would always be dangerous on the counter with Town having to commit more men forward in search of a way back into the game, and if not for a Niall Maher intervention, Harrogate may have doubled their lead with 20 minutes to go. George Thomson’s goal-bound shot was blocked well by Maher who had to slide in, but it was not long before the away side did find that crucial second goal.
It was too easy for Harrogate to work the ball along the edge of the box from the right side, with Daly’s side-footed effort seemingly taking a slight deflection off Odoh, with Cartwright not even diving to try and stop the ball as it dribbled into the net.
Grimsby never looked like they were going to score and get themselves back into the game, with Harrogate going close to a third late on – Kane Ramsey was only denied by the crossbar as he let fly with a powerful effort from the right side of the box.
Town finally started to turn the screw as the game entered injury time, with Green smashing in through a crowd of bodies to give his side a glimmer of hope of snatching a point, but it was not to be in the end.
Original story at https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/
