The Mariners scored five goals to end their Vertu Trophy campaign with a victory over Everton U21 at Blundell Park.
On a rainy night in Cleethorpes, the Premier League academy side struck first through Jacob Beaumont-Clark but Town hit back before half-time, with goals from Jamie Walker and Clarke Oduor ensuring the hosts led at the break.
Zak Gilsenan marked his first competitive start for the club with a goal to make it 3-1 seven minutes into the second half and Walker added a fourth to secure the three points in Northern Group C.
William Tamen’s header pulled a goal back for the young Toffees but any hopes they may have had of an unlikely comeback were brought to an end when Reece Staunton’s late strike restored the home side’s three-goal lead.
The visitors did have the final say though, as George Morgan made it 5-3 in stoppage time.
Head coach David Artell made eight changes to his Grimsby team following the Emirates FA Cup victory over Ebbsfleet United on Saturday, with Cameron McJannet, Geza Turi and Walker staying in the XI.
Charlie Casper started in goal, as Neo Eccleston, Tyrell Warren, Cameron McJannet and Staunton formed the defence. Turi sat behind Gilsenan, Walker, Oduor and Jude Soonsup-Bell in midfield, with Justin Amaluzor leading the attack.
The substitutes were Seb Auton, Sam Lavelle, Evan Khouri, Darragh Burns, George McEachran, Fortune Onoh and Danny Rose.
Both sides were playing their final group match but went into it knowing neither was able to progress to the knockout stages regardless of the result, with both already beaten by Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers in their previous games.
But both came into the contest on the back of a win, with the Everton youngsters recording a 1-0 home success over Chelsea U21 in their previous Premier League 2 fixture on Friday.
Manager Paul Tait made five changes from that game, although Beaumont-Clark remained in the team after scoring the winner.
FIRST HALF
Eccleston cut out a low cross from George Finney as Everton created the first opening following a cagey opening six minutes, then Walker saw a shot blocked at the end of Town’s first attacking move.
Soonsup-Bell missed the target at the near post after a quickly-taken free kick for a foul on Walker, before Gilsenan made good progress through the middle and found Amaluzor, only for the striker’s shot to hit the former Blackburn Rovers attacker as he continued his run into the penalty area.
Turi won the game’s first corner on 18 minutes and after it was played short, Gilsenan’s cross took a deflection for another corner on the opposite, right flank. This time, Staunton’s ball from it fell for McJannet but he could only turn it wide of the far post.
Everton broke the deadlock soon afterwards, as Oduor lost possession to Ademide Akarakiri in midfield and he took the ball forward before playing it right to BEAUMONT-CLARK, who beat Casper from the edge of the box.
Walker tried to provide a response as he beat Finney on the Town left but Aled Thomas got back to stop him from getting a cross in.
A Staunton cross was headed away moments later after a great ball found Gilsenan on the left, then a foul on Oduor brought a free kick in a promising, central position with 29 minutes on the clock. Staunton touched it to Gilsenan and he found Warren on the right but the defender’s low cross was blocked.
Town were now on top as they looked for an equaliser but Everton were looking composed in defence and another home corner was dealt with .
The visitors then had a chance to make it 2-0 when Cory Ebere won the ball in midfield and played it through for Beaumont-Clark to cut inside from the right and go clear. This time, however, Casper came off his line to make an excellent block.
It turned out to be Beaumont-Clarke’s last action of the evening as he went down with an injury and was unable to continue. Ceiran Loney came on in his place.
Goalkeeper Harry Tyrer stopped a cross-shot from Soonsup-Bell on the right, then a neat move on 39 minutes led to Soonsup-Bell flicking a header over the bar after a clever backheel from Walker gave Staunton the space to cross from the left.
The Mariners were level a minute later, as Amaluzor dispossessed Thomas and took the ball forward before squaring for WALKER to drill a powerful strike past Tyrer.
Gilsenan fired over the bar after working an opening for himself inside the box as the hosts aimed to complete the turnaround before half-time.
Amaluzor then sent a low strike wide of the target as the first half moved into at least three added minutes.
But there was still time for Town to ensure they went in at the break with the advantage, as Walker’s through-ball found ODUOR and his deft touch took it past the advancing Tyrer.
It was the midfielder’s first goal for the club and he almost had his second when a corner from the left broke for him but this time, Tyrer was equal to the strike and he made a great reaction save to tip the ball over the bar.
That meant the Mariners had to settle for a hard-earned, single-goal lead at the interval as they returned to the dressing rooms 2-1 up.
SECOND HALF
Lavelle replaced McJannet for Town and Kingsford Boakye came on for Thomas in the blue of Everton as both sides made a change before the restart.
Walker flashed a shot wide from 20 yards as the hosts created the first chance of the second half, then Tyrer caught a cross from Oduor after a good build-up down the Grimsby right.
Casper made a save from Francis Gomez at his near post after Boakye beat Lavelle and pulled the ball back from the away right in Everton’s first attack since the break, with the offside flag then going up as the half-time substitute got to the rebound.
Soon afterwards, Town stretched their lead through GILSENAN, who hit an emphatic finish into the roof of the net after Walker pulled the ball back from the left.
A shirt-pull by Walker on Akarakiri gave the visitors a free kick midway inside the Mariners’ half but Soonsup-Bell was in place to head it clear, then a good challenge by Warren stopped Everton’s next attack.
The away side’s third change saw Jack Patterson replace Gomez on 57 minutes but seconds later, it was 4-1 to the hosts. Staunton’s low cross from the left was not fully dealt with and when the ball ricocheted to WALKER, he pounced from close range for his second goal of the night.
Loney bundled the ball wide as Everton looked for a way back into the contest, then Town made two further changes on the hour, with McEachran and Burns replacing Turi and Gilsenan.
Eccleston was booked for delaying an away free kick and soon afterwards, Everton pulled a goal back as a corner from Patterson on the left was headed home by TAMEN.
A vital interception by Staunton stopped a through-ball from reaching Boakye, then Soonsup-Bell headed another Patterson corner clear and an offside decision went against Tamen as the Premier League academy side kept aiming to build an unlikely comeback.
Amaluzor did well to win the ball on the left and cut into the box on 68 minutes but his low pull-back was blocked for a corner, which led to Burns lifting a first-time shot over the bar from 25 yards.
A foul on Burns then gave Town a free kick 25 yards out but after Rose and Onoh replaced Oduor and Walker, Soonsup-Bell’s strike flew over the bar.
Morgan came on for Akarakiri in Everton’s latest change, before Tyrer once again showed great reactions to get up and deny McEachran from point-blank range after first blocking a strike by Amaluzor.
Morgan met a cross from the away right on 86 minutes but headed straight at Casper and any hopes the visitors had of getting back into the game came to an end moments later, as the Mariners made it 5-2. STAUNTON started and finished a great possession move, with the left-back eventually getting the ball on the edge of the box from Amaluzor and beating Tyrer with the aid of a heavy deflection.
Three added minutes were played at the end of the game and Everton, to their credit, grabbed a third goal when a Patterson corner from the right was not dealt with and MORGAN flicked a header past Casper.
That rounded off the scoring on an entertaining evening at Blundell Park, with the Mariners coming out on top to ensure they bowed out of the competition with a win.
And after three consecutive cup fixtures in three different competitions over the last eight days, the focus now switches back to the Sky Bet League Two campaign ahead of Saturday’s trip to Barrow.
Town: Casper, Eccleston, Warren, McJannet (Lavelle, 46), Staunton, Turi (McEachran, 60), Gilsenan (Burns, 60), Walker (Onoh, 73), Oduor (Rose, 73), Soonsup-Bell, Amaluzor
Subs not used: Auton, Khouri
