The Mariners produced an excellent performance in tough conditions to earn their first away win of the season with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Gillingham.
Harvey Rodgers sent Town on their way with a stunning strike from 25 yards but they were pegged back eight minutes before the break when Ronan Hale equalised.
Despite the strong wind and heavy rain in Kent, the visitors played some great football and they were rewarded with three more goals in the second half to get back to winning ways in style.
Iwan Morgan scored from the penalty spot to reclaim the advantage, before Geza Turi marked a fine individual display with the third goal and substitute Sonny Finch added extra gloss to the scoreline as his first for the club made it 4-1.
Head coach David Artell named an unchanged Grimsby starting XI after the midweek draw at Rochdale stopped a run of four consecutive Sky Bet League Two defeats, although there were returns from injury on the bench for Mark Shelton and Josh Andrews.
Goalkeeper Christy Pym had a three-man defence of Rodgers, Maldini Kacurri and Joe Foulkes in front of him, while Turi sat behind Justin Amaluzor, Kieran Green, Jamie Walker and Charles Vernam in midfield as Andy Cook and Morgan began in attack.
Shelton and Andrews were joined among the substitutes by Harvey Cartwright, Cian Doyle, Ryley Reynolds, Fin Cartwright and Finch.
Gillingham sat seventh in the league table at kick-off but only three points ahead of their 17th-placed visitors. Gareth Ainsworth’s side were on a run of one win from their previous five games and would look to the likes of Garath McCleary and Hale to cause problems for the Town defence. Former Mariners loanee Andy Smith was part of the back line aiming to keep his old club out at the other end.
FIRST HALF
Morgan’s first long throw of the afternoon was flicked through to home keeper Ollie Wright by Green, before a foul by Kacurri on Hale gave Gillingham a free kick inside the Town half. James Brophy sent it towards the edge of the penalty area but a push on Rodgers was spotted by the referee.
Vernam fired high over the bar from distance on five minutes but the next time they went forward, the Mariners took the lead. Vernam and Walker linked up on the left to provide a crossing opportunity for Turi and when his ball was headed away at the near post, it fell for RODGERS to unleash a powerful first-time strike from 25 yards which arrowed into the net.
Gillingham aimed to respond immediately and they won a corner on the left but nobody was able to connect with the ball from it and it bounced out at the far post for a goal kick.
The hosts were using a direct style of play but had struggled to make an impact in difficult conditions over the opening quarter of an hour, while Town won a corner when a Vernam free kick from the right was headed behind. Vernam’s delivery led to an offside decision as Wright punched clear.
Amaluzor saw a shot blocked on 19 minutes, then got back to stop Conor McManus on the home left at the other end. It proved to be the start of a brief spell of Gillingham pressure but Town defended well and eventually won a free kick.
A short back-pass by Nick Freeman almost presented Cook with an opportunity but Wright got to the ball first, then Hale was unable to connect with a low McCleary cross into the Town box as the hosts created their first good chance of the game.
Jack Daley shot straight at Pym as Gillingham continued to come into the game at the midway point of the half, before McCleary saw the first yellow card for a trip on Walker.
Wright had to reach up to tip a deflected effort from Vernam wide for another Grimsby corner, which was played low for Morgan near the penalty spot. His first-time shot took a deflection for a further corner but this time, Town could not turn it into a chance in front of goal.
Hale sliced a first-time strike wide from 20 yards on the half-hour, then Wright got down to stop a low cross from Vernam.
Foulkes beat McCleary to a cross from McManus to get the ball away for a Gillingham corner and Cook headed it behind at the near post for another one, which bounced off the top of Pym’s bar for a goal kick.
Rodgers was then narrowly off-target with a strike from a similar distance to the one that brought him the goal, with the referee giving a goal kick despite the Town defender’s claim for a deflection.
Morgan was caught offside as he ran onto a chip into the box from Turi, with the visitors continuing to look to add to their lead.
But when the second goal of the afternoon arrived on 37 minutes, it was Gillingham who levelled the scores. McCleary played a low ball in behind the Town defence for HALE to run onto and slot past Pym from a narrow angle on the right.
Smith headed a McCleary cross wide as the hosts looked to quickly complete the turnaround, then Morgan was denied by Wright as Town aimed to reclaim the advantage.
Turi saw the yellow card for a foul but Armani Little’s resulting free kick drifted out for a throw-in and a Brophy cross from Gillingham’s next attack was cleared by Vernam.
One added minute was played a the end of the first half with the hosts still on the attack but they could not create any further chances and the scores remained level at the break.
SECOND HALF
No changes were made ahead of the restart and Gillingham had the first opening of the second half when Robbie McKenzie sent the ball along the six-yard line from the right, although Hale could not connect with it and McManus could only turn it off-target at the far post.
Town had a corner on the right soon afterwards but they could not test Wright from it after Vernam’s delivery was headed away.
Amaluzor was booked for delaying a home free kick but moments later, the Mariners were given an opportunity to take the lead for the second time when Green was pulled back inside the box by Little. The referee pointed to the penalty spot and after Little was booked, MORGAN stepped up to beat Wright and make it 2-1.
Finch replaced Amaluzor in Town’s first change straight after the goal and Cook then saw a volley blocked as the visitors went in search of a third goal.
Another chance came when Vernam found Rodgers with a free kick from the left but the defender’s header was caught by Wright.
The Mariners were firmly on top now and a cross from Finch on the right was just too far ahead of Cook as they continued to push forward.
McManus was wide of the near post with a shot at the other end after the referee played an advantage following a foul on Brophy by Kacurri, who was shown the yellow card.
Town’s next attack brought them a crucial third goal, as they made their dominance count. More good football saw the Mariners put together a move on the right and after playing the ball to Green inside the box, TURI was in place to get it back and finish from six yards.
Tom Eaves and Sheldon Kendall replaced McCleary and Freeman in a double-substitution for Gillingham as they aimed to haul themselves back into the contest.
But Town were not finished yet and they grabbed a fourth goal with 70 minutes on the clock. Turi looked up and played a perfectly-weighted ball into the path of FINCH, who kept his composure to slot past Wright.
Turi made way for Shelton and Andrews replaced Morgan as the Mariners made further changes after the goal and they went close to a fifth as Andrews was denied by Wright and Green struck the post from the rebound.
Ethan Coleman replaced Little in Gillingham’s latest change with 12 minutes to go and Doyle and Fin Cartwright followed them onto the pitch for Town three minutes later as Green and Walker made way.
A rare home attack brought a corner but Andrews was in place to head it away and Gillingham retained possession until Hale was caught offside.
A free kick midway inside the Gillingham half brought a further opportunity for the Town to create danger and they kept possession from it until Finch ran into the box and hit a shot which took a deflection for a corner. Vernam’s flag-kick was eventually cleared.
Finch saw the yellow card for a push on Hale as the striker aimed to break across the halfway line but Gillingham were unable to make the most of the free kick as the referee spotted a foul in Town’s favour and Coleman went on to be booked for delaying that free kick.
Four added minutes were played at the end of the game and the Mariners closed out a big, morale-boosting victory to take the three points back to North East Lincolnshire.
They are next in action on Saturday, when York City will be the visitors for a 12.30pm kick-off at Blundell Park.
Town: Pym, Rodgers, Kacurri, Foulkes, Turi (Shelton, 70), Amaluzor (Finch, 55), Green (Doyle, 81), Walker (F Cartwright, 81), Vernam, Morgan (Andrews, 70), Cook
Subs not used: H Cartwright, Reynolds
UTM
