Evan Khouri scored the only goal of the game as Grimsby Town earned an impressive away victory over Walsall and moved up to second in the Sky Bet League Two table.

The Mariners produced an excellent team performance in front of the live Sky Sports cameras in the West Midlands to secure all three points and maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

Both sides created opportunities in a goalless first half, before Khouri made the decisive contribution as he struck from close range eight minutes after the hour.

Town had to do plenty of defending as Walsall pushed forward in search of an equaliser but David Artell’s men held firm to seal a deserved third win from four league games so far.

Two changes were made to the Grimsby starting XI following Saturday’s 2-1 success against Newport County, with Khouri and Darragh Burns coming in for Jamie Walker and Justin Amaluzor.

Christy Pym began in goal and Harvey Rodgers, Doug Tharme, Cameron McJannet and Jayden Sweeney formed the defence in front of him.  George McEachran sat behind a midfield of Burns, Kieran Green, Khouri and Charles Vernam, as Jaze Kabia led the attack.

Walker and Amaluzor were both named on the bench, alongside Geza Turi, Reece Staunton, Tyrell Warren, Cameron Gardner and Seb Auton.

Walsall were looking to build on a promising start to the season which had seen them win two of their first three league games, as well as holding Championship Stoke City to a goalless draw in the Carabao Cup before losing on penalties.

Strikers Aaron Pressley and Jonny Stuttle would look to fire the Saddlers to a third league victory of the campaign, with former Mariners loanee Jamille Matt among their substitutes.

FIRST HALF

Town dominated possession in the early stages and Green won the game’s first corner on six minutes.  Tharme got to Vernam’s delivery first and the ball took a deflection for another corner, which was cleared.

Bournemouth loanee Stuttle had Walsall’s first shot soon afterwards and his 25-yard strike was deflected wide for a corner.  The flag-kick was dealt with and the Mariners broke through Burns on the right.  He found Kabia, who forced another corner when his shot from the right side of the penalty area was adjudged to have been blocked.

The game was moving from end to end at pace as the 10-minute mark passed, with Pressley firing wide from Walsall’s latest attack.

The hosts came forward again moments later as Stuttle crossed from the right for Pressley but he could not hit the target with his header.

Connor Barrett had to turn the ball behind for a corner after Kabia sent a low cross along the six-yard line.  Vernam played the ball low from the flag to McEachran but home goalkeeper Myles Roberts beat Kabia to the midfielder’s chip and punched clear.

Burns shot wide from the edge of the box on 16 minutes, then Rodgers was first to a Harrison Burke cross at the other end to head clear.

Tharme headed Mason Hancock’s left-wing cross away at the end of a neat Walsall move but the offside flag brought their next attack to an end after Hancock had controlled a long pass from captain Aden Flint.

Pym was called into action for the first time on 25 minutes when Lewis Warrington let fly from 25 yards and the keeper was equal to the task, diving to his right to tip the ball away.

The keeper then stretched to push Hancock’s low cross away before getting up to superbly deny Charlie Lakin from the rebound.

Khouri side-footed a volley over the bar from 20 yards after a mistake between the Walsall goalkeeper and defence, then Sweeney saw the first yellow card of the evening for a foul on Jamie Jellis.

Walsall were now starting to see more of the ball and were creating more chances but Town looked dangerous on the counter-attack.

Stuttle needed treatment after going down with an injury but after initially being passed fit to continue, he went down again and this time, made way for Albert Adomah in the game’s first substitution on 37 minutes.

Sweeney blocked a Barrett cross at the expense of a corner and the flag-kick led to the best chance of the match so far, as Hancock’s delivery picked out Jellis on the six-yard line.  He headed it towards goal but Pym was in the right place to keep it out.

Another corner followed at the other end when Kabia beat the offside trap but saw Roberts tip his shot against the near post.  The flag-kick led to McEachran sending a low shot wide from 20 yards.

The Grimsby pressure continued as the half moved into at least eight added minutes, with Rodgers missing the target from distance before a free kick for a foul on Burns brought another opportunity to attack, although the home defence stood firm.

A foul by McJannet on Lakin gave Walsall a free kick in a dangerous position but it was dealt with, then after the hosts worked the ball forward again, Jellis could only lift a shot over the bar from inside the box.

Walsall were ending the half on the attack but they were unable to find a breakthrough, so the game remained goalless at half-time.

SECOND HALF

No further changes were made before the restart and after a bright start by the Mariners, Green won a free kick in a promising position when he was brought down by Warrington.  Vernam could not make the most of it though, as he fired into the Walsall wall.

Another opportunity came seconds later when Pym’s long kick was flicked on by Green for Kabia but Roberts raced off his line to deny the striker.

Green headed a Jellis long throw away at the other end, then the Mariners had a great chance on the break as Kabia made progress deep into the Walsall half before finding Vernam, although Roberts again made a good block.

Hancock had gone down injured as Town went forward and after receiving treatment on the pitch, he could not continue and Courtney Clarke came on in his place.

Daniel Cox hit the bar from distance as the home side came close to opening the scoring on 56 minutes, before Flint got to a low cross from Green at the other end ahead of Burns to steer the ball back to keeper Roberts.

Green won a free kick on the right when he was fouled by Lakin on 64 minutes but Vernam’s delivery to the edge of the box was cleared.

McJannet then got back to stop Adomah with a good challenge which led to Jellis taking another long throw from the left.  Flint won the header from it and Town were unable to get the ball clear but Lakin eventually fired off-target.

Soon afterwards, the deadlock was finally broken and it was the Mariners who took the lead.  Burns cut inside from the right and crossed to the far post, where Green headed the ball back across goal.  Flint cleared off the line but he could only send the ball into the path of KHOURI, who pounced from close range to find the net.

Walsall immediately went in search of an equaliser and they quickly won a corner but Pym did well to claim the ball from it.

Jake Hollman, Matt and Ryan Finnigan replaced Lakin, Pressley and Jellis in a triple-substitution for the hosts on 72 minutes, then Green stung the palms of Roberts with a 25-yard drive as Town looked for a second goal.

Cox was booked for a shirt-pull on Green, before Gardner and Amaluzor came on for Kabia and Burns in Town’s first two changes.

Walsall thought they had found a leveller soon afterwards when Finnigan headed home after some pinball in the six-yard box following a free kick, which included Pym making a brilliant save from Cox.  The celebrations were short-lived, though, as the offside flag had gone up.

The home pressure continued as Clarke sent an acrobatic effort wide, then Walker replaced Vernam in Grimsby’s latest change with eight minutes to go.

A shot from Green was blocked as the Mariners kept looking for a second goal to secure the points.

Green made way for Warren with two minutes left on the clock, before McEachran saw the yellow card for time-wasting over a free kick.

Walsall were still looking to snatch a point as the game moved into a minimum of eight additional minutes and Warrington went close but could not force the ball past Pym after it had bounced around the Town box.

Gardner did well at the other end to win a free kick on the edge of the penalty area and McEachran’s shot from it took a deflection for a corner, bringing a further opportunity to manage the game.

After the hosts won the ball back, Barrett launched a counter-attack and Adomah took it further forward as Walsall kept searching for an equaliser, then a home corner was well-defended as Roberts came up to join the attack.

The keeper, who had remained forward, was booked for bringing Warren down as Town aimed to break, but there was more defending to do as the hosts continued to pour forward.

But there was no way through for Walsall as the Mariners saw out the remainder of the game to ensure they could celebrate a huge three points with their travelling supporters.

Next up for Town is another away trip, as they travel to face Accrington Stanley on Saturday.

Town: Pym, Rodgers, Tharme, McJannet, Sweeney, McEachran, Burns (Amaluzor, 77), Green (Warren, 88), Khouri, Vernam (Walker, 82), Kabia (Gardner, 77)

Subs not used: Turi, Staunton, Auton

UTM