The Mariners picked up their first point of this season’s Jersey Mike’s Trophy campaign after a goalless draw with Burton Albion at Blundell Park, with the visitors going on to win on penalties.
Town dominated the contest but were unable to force a breakthrough inside the 90 minutes, with substitute Charles Vernam seeing a goal ruled out for offside.
A youthful Burton side rarely threatened Harvey Cartwright’s goal but defended well to take the game to a shoot-out where keeper Kamil Dudek made good saves from Kieran Green and Sonny Finch, with the visitors scoring all four of their spot-kicks to go home with an extra point.
Ten changes were made to the Grimsby team following Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two defeat by Shrewsbury Town, with only Cian Doyle starting both games. The XI showed three alterations to the one that began the previous Trophy fixture at Notts County, as head coach David Artell again opted to rotate his squad.
Harvey Cartwright started in goal, with Joe Foulkes, Sam Lavelle, Doug Tharme and Alex Graham forming the defence. Doyle and Fin Cartwright sat behind Finch, Ryley Reynolds and Henry Brown in midfield, while Iwan Morgan led the attack.
Seb Auton, Green, Maldini Kacurri, Justin Amaluzor, Edon Pruti, Vernam and Elliot Smith were all named on a strong Mariners bench.
Burton also made 10 changes from the team that started their home defeat by Huddersfield Town in League One on Saturday, with Kain Adom the man to remain in the Brewers XI.
Both sides were looking for their first victory in Northern Group F, although Burton came into the game with one point gained from a draw with Nottingham Forest U21 last time out, with the Forest youngsters going on to win the shootout.
FIRST HALF
Dudek got down to stop an early low cross from Graham, before a break from Zac Scutt led to Kairo Piper missing the target at the other end.
Lavelle saw a shot blocked and Fin Cartwright then fired over the bar after Town won the first corner on seven minutes.
A good pass from Brown gave Fin Cartwright an opening down the left as the hosts continued to attack but when he pulled the ball back, it was behind the run of Morgan. Instead, it broke for Doyle and his 25-yard strike took a deflection for another corner, which led to a blocked shot from Lavelle at the near post.
The Mariners were on top in the early stages but a foul on Adom earned Fin Cartwright the first yellow card of the evening and gave the visitors a chance to create danger with a free kick on the right. They were unable to make it count though, as Town cleared.
A low cross from Foulkes earned the hosts another corner on 15 minutes and although it was cleared at the near post, Finch won a further flag-kick on the right seconds later. This time, Lavelle headed Reynolds’ delivery over the bar.
A foul on Finch gave Town a free kick on the right but Reynolds’ ball into the box was caught by Dudek, before a good challenge from Foulkes stopped Scutt and Morgan got back to deny Miles Henry as the away side started to come into the game.
William Earley headed behind for a corner after good play by Foulkes to keep the ball in on the right and pull it back, although Town were unable to test Dudek from it.
The visitors went close to opening the scoring just before the half-hour when Emika Adiele got the ball deep inside his own half and set off on a solo run which took him into the Grimsby penalty area. He was unable to apply a finishing touch though, as his low shot rolled just past the far post.
Good vision by Tharme saw him find Graham with a great ball down the left but it did not lead to a chance in front of goal.
Morgan then went the closest yet to breaking the deadlock for Town on 37 minutes when he showed persistence to win the ball back on the left edge of the Burton box and let fly with a curling strike which Dudek dived to tip away for a corner.
The hosts continued to dominate possession as half-time loomed, with Morgan narrowly failing to connect with a Finch cross at the end of a patient build-up.
But when the referee’s whistle blew after one added minute, the deadlock was yet to be broken as the game remained goalless at the interval.
SECOND HALF
Kacurri replaced Lavelle for Town ahead of the restart, while Burton made a double-substitution as Robbie Meakin and Daniel Jones came on for Jack Willow and Piper.
Doyle picked Morgan out with a superb ball over the top as the home side were first to attack but the striker could not work an opening in front of goal.
A stoppage came for Adiele to receive treatment before being passed fit to continue and he got a vital touch on a through-ball from Reynolds to take it away from Morgan and out for a corner. Reynolds’ right-wing delivery beat everybody.
The Mariners had another corner after Brown’s low cross from the left was touched towards goal by Morgan and deflected behind. The flag-kick eventually broke for Doyle, whose half-volley was stopped by Dudek.
Kacurri was shown the yellow card just before the hour for a foul on Adom and the resulting free kick from the away left found its way through to Henry at the far post but he could only shoot wide.
Smith and Vernam replaced Fin Cartwright and Morgan as Town made further changes on 61 minutes but the visitors created another chance soon afterwards, with Adom forcing Harvey Cartwright into a save from 20 yards.
Finch was denied by Dudek at the other end after a good pass from Reynolds and the Mariners kept possession from the resulting corner until Vernam fired off-target from 25 yards.
Vernam headed just wide from a Finch cross as Town kept looking for an opening goal, then another attempt by Vernam was caught by the keeper.
The Mariners had the ball in the net on 71 minutes when Vernam slotted past Dudek but the celebrations were cut short by an offside decision and the flag went up again after a corner from the home right soon afterwards.
A foul by Doyle on Adiele gave Burton a free kick in a promising position on 75 minutes and it turned into a corner when Adiele’s delivery was put behind by Foulkes. Tharme headed the flag-kick clear.
Vernam stopped a run from Scutt and launched a break which led to a foul on Finch by Adiele, who was booked. Vernam looked for the near post from the resulting free kick on the edge of the box but could only find the side-netting.
Green came on for Brown with five minutes to go as the Grimsby management team looked to the bench again in a bid to force a breakthrough.
A corner on the left followed on 89 minutes but Vernam’s delivery was cleared, then the winger turned a cross from Green wide as the clock ticked into at least three additional minutes.
No further chances came before the final whistle as both teams claimed at least a point each, with an extra point on offer to the winners of the shoot-out.
Dudek saved from Green and Jason Sraha stepped up to give Burton an early advantage, before Vernam scored from Town’s second kick but Adiele kept the visitors ahead.
Finch was also denied by a good save from the keeper and Scutt put the away side closer to victory by making it three from three for them.
Foulkes kept the Mariners in it with a confident penalty but Jones kept his nerve to find the net and secure a 4-2 shootout success for Burton and ensure they went back to Staffordshire with two points.
Town were left with a single point to get off the mark in the group stage, which will conclude with a home fixture against Nottingham Forest U21 next month.
Before that, the Mariners will be back in league action on Saturday when they travel to Port Vale.
Town: H Cartwright, Foulkes, Lavelle (Kacurri, 46), Tharme, Graham, Doyle, F Cartwright (Smith, 61), Finch, Reynolds, Brown (Green, 85), Morgan (Vernam, 61)
Subs not used: Auton, Amaluzor, Pruti
