The Mariners were beaten in their second Vertu Trophy group stage match as Doncaster Rovers took all three points away from Blundell Park.

Robbie Gotts scored two early goals from Glenn Middleton crosses to give the Sky Bet League One visitors a commanding advantage and a late own-goal by substitute Cameron McJannet sealed their victory.

Grimsby head coach David Artell named a completely changed starting XI following Saturday’s League Two win at Salford City, with several members of the squad given an opportunity to get vital match minutes.

Charlie Casper made his first start for the club in goal, with Neo Eccleston and Sam Lavelle also making full debuts as they joined Alex Graham and Reece Staunton to make up the back four.  Fortune Onoh sat behind Justin Amaluzor, Jamie Walker, Clarke Oduor and Jude Soonsup-Bell in midfield, while Danny Rose led the attack.

The substitutes were Seb Auton, Jayden Sweeney, Evan Khouri, McJannet, Darragh Burns, Zak Gilsenan and Elliott Smith.

The Mariners lost to Bradford City in their opening group match but their visitors were looking to make it two wins out of two and put one foot into the knockout stages after beating Everton U21 in their first Northern Group C fixture.

Doncaster boss Grant McCann made nine changes from the team that began their 1-1 League One draw with Burton Albion last time out but it was still a strong XI, with the likes of Damola Ajayi and Toyosi Olusanya aiming to pose a major threat to the Town defence.

FIRST HALF

The Mariners won an early corner through Eccleston on the right but Soonsup-Bell could only head Staunton’s delivery wide of the near post.

Amaluzor set off on a driving run on six minutes after getting the ball from Rose in midfield and he made progress to the edge of the penalty area before his shot was blocked for another corner, which was dealt with.

Doncaster’s first attack came soon afterwards and led to them taking the lead, as they won the ball in midfield and worked it to Middleton on the left.  His cross found GOTTS, who placed a cushioned volley past Casper and into the net.

After breaking the deadlock, the away side immediately looked for a second goal and another slick attack led to a corner on the right. Onoh headed the flag-kick away but Doncaster retained possession until Casper claimed a right-wing cross.

Instead, the visitors doubled their advantage from their next opportunity.  After Ajayi started the attack, it was the same combination as GOTTS found Middleton on the right before making his way into the box to meet the winger’s cross and head past Casper.

A deflected strike by Middleton brought another corner as Doncaster continued to dominate, before Staunton headed clear from a ball into the box by George Broadbent.

Walker won a corner at the other end on 23 minutes but after Soonsup-Bell played it short to Staunton, his cross was headed away by Jay McGrath.  Town kept possession and worked it forward again for Lavelle, whose shot from 12 yards was blocked.

Good awareness by Casper saw him race out of his penalty area to get to a long ball ahead of Ajayi, then Staunton cleared a low cross from the away left.

Soonsup-Bell won a free kick in a promising position just after the half-hour but McGrath got to Staunton’s delivery first to head behind for a corner.  Will Flint headed the flag-kick away and although Town retained possession, they were unable to create another opportunity in front of goal.

Onoh did well to stop Olusanya and bring a quick Doncaster break to an end but the visitors were soon on the front foot again and Lavelle had to slide a low cross behind for a corner on the left.  Middleton’s delivery did not find a team-mate but Gotts sent it back into the box from the opposite flank, although Jack Senior could not turn it towards goal.

Rose was caught offside as he aimed to run onto a neat through-ball from Soonsup-Bell, before Olusanya flicked a header wide from another Middleton cross.

Soonsup-Bell aimed to create an opening inside the penalty area but was outmuscled by Tom Nixon, then Oduor forced Doncaster goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala into a good save after capitalising on a mistake to take the ball forward and shoot from 18 yards.  The keeper dived to tip the low strike away for a corner.

Town were coming back into the game in the closing stages of the first half and after the game moved into one added minute, Onoh was denied from 18 yards as Lo-Tutala dived to make another good stop.

That meant the hosts were unable to reduce their deficit before the interval, as the visitors’ two-goal lead remained intact.

SECOND HALF

Khouri replaced Walker as Town made the first substitution of the evening ahead of the restart and after an early offside decision went against Doncaster, a stoppage came for Rose to receive treatment.

Olusanya’s pace took him past Lavelle on the away left but the defender recovered to get back and win the ball, then a Soonsup-Bell cross at the other end beat everybody and rolled out for a throw-in.

Amaluzor fired over the bar from 20 yards as the Mariners kept searching for a way back into the game, before Casper got down to make a comfortable stop from Ajayi.

Another strike by Amaluzor took a deflection on its way wide for a corner on 61 minutes and after it was initially played short, Rose met Oduor’s cross at the far post but his header back across goal dropped wide.

Olusanya and Joe Sbarra made way for Brandon Hanlon and Sam Straughan-Brown in a double-substitution by the away side on 65 minutes, before a good block by Eccleston stopped a Middleton cross.

Hanlon’s first opportunity saw him head a Middleton cross over the bar, then Lavelle and Rose made way for McJannet and Burns in Town’s latest changes with 18 minutes to go in a move which saw Amaluzor move into a central position as Burns slotted in on the right.

Luke Molyneux and Ben Close came on for Gotts and Ajayi in the colours of Doncaster, with Gilsenan replacing Oduor as the hosts looked to their bench again on 79 minutes.

Close was denied by Casper and Hanlon’s follow-up effort went through to the keeper as the visitors looked for a third goal to seal the points.

Soonsup-Bell forced a corner after showing good skill to create an opening inside the box, before Jordan Gibson came on for Middleton in the away side’s final substitution.

Casper made a brilliant save to tip a 25-yard strike from Broadbent over his bar, then Hanlon headed wide after meeting a fantastic ball into the box from Molyneux.

But as the game moved into five minutes of stoppage time, Doncaster were gifted a third goal as McJannet’s attempted header back to Casper instead went past the keeper and rolled into the net for an own goal, despite his best efforts to get back and keep it out.

The away side were not finished yet and they almost had a fourth goal after Broadbent’s shot was blocked and the ball bounced around the six-yard box until Molyneux eventually fired it towards goal.  This time, Casper got a touch to the ball to turn it over the bar for a corner.

Doncaster defender Flint saw the yellow card for simulation after the ball came across from the flag and the game continued until Casper stopped another shot by Molyneux in what turned out to be the final action of the game.

The result leaves the Mariners still without a point after two group matches and they will complete their group stage when they host Everton U21 next month.

Attention now switches back to the league programme, with Town next in action on Saturday as they face Colchester United at Blundell Park.

Town: Casper, Eccleston, Lavelle (McJannet, 72), Graham, Staunton, Onoh, Amaluzor, Walker (Khouri, 46), Oduor (Gilsenan, 79), Soonsup-Bell, Rose (Burns, 72)

Subs not used: Auton, Sweeney, Smith

UTM