Justin Amaluzor’s goal earned the Mariners a point from a 1-1 draw with Tranmere Rovers on the final day of the Sky Bet League Two regular season and set up a play-off semi-final against Salford City.

The winger put Town ahead two minutes before the break but they were unable to hold on to their advantage as Nathan Smith headed home an equaliser just after the hour.

Tranmere, needing a win to guarantee another season of League Two football at Prenton Park, pushed forward in a bid to complete the turnaround but the game ended level and results elsewhere kept the home side in the EFL.

The draw means Town finish seventh in the league and will now host Salford at Blundell Park in the first leg of their semi-final.

Four changes were made to the Grimsby starting XI after last week’s home victory over Swindon Town assured David Artell’s side of a top-seven finish.  Tyrell Warren, Jayden Sweeney, Jamie Walker and Charles Vernam all came into the line-up, replacing Harvey Rodgers, Reece Staunton, Clarke Oduor and Jaze Kabia.

Jackson Smith started in goal, with Warren, Maldini Kacurri, Cameron McJannet and Sweeney forming the defence.  Geza Turi sat behind Amaluzor, Kieran Green, Walker and Vernam in midfield, with Andy Cook leading the attack.

Staunton, Oduor and Kabia were all named on the bench, alongside Christy Pym, Henry Brown, Darragh Burns and Jude Soonsup-Bell.

Tranmere required a victory to ensure their place in League Two for next season without relying on other teams, although with Pete Wild’s men starting the day in 20th place, results in the games involving Crawley Town, Newport County and Harrogate Town would also all have to go against them if they were to drop into the National League.

Wild would look to striker Kaiyne Woolery to provide the chief threat to the Town defence, while Kristian Dennis and Joe Ironside could bring further firepower from the bench.

FIRST HALF

A foul on Amaluzor gave Town an early free kick on the right but Vernam’s delivery was eventually cleared by Nohan Kenneh.

Woolery brought Warren down to concede another free kick close to the halfway line, although this time, Green’s low cross went wide.

Cook went close to opening the scoring on four minutes after a long ball was headed on by Green but the striker’s shot from the right side of the penalty area dropped just wide of the far post.

Charlie Whitaker lifted a first-time effort high over the bar from Tranmere’s first chance two minutes later, then another attempt by Whitaker flew just off-target from the edge of the box.

Vernam saw a shot blocked, before a mistake by home keeper Marko Marosi presented the left winger with the ball midway inside the Tranmere half.  He advanced and looked for Green to the right but the pass was too heavy.

Neither keeper had been called into serious action as the 20-minute mark passed, although Ryan Watson had to get back to deny Sweeney from close range and give Town the first corner of the afternoon.  The Mariners kept possession from it and eventually earned another corner when Walker’s 20-yard strike took a deflection on its way over the bar.  Vernam’s far-post delivery broke for Walker but his low shot was blocked.

Kacurri headed a Whitaker free kick clear, then a push by Amaluzor gave the hosts another free kick inside the Town half.  Whitaker chipped it to Jayden Joseph and he helped the ball on into the box but Cook was in place to clear.

A foul on Warren gave the away side an opportunity to create danger from the right but Vernam’s free kick was cleared by Sam Finley.

Walker had a chance soon afterwards as he set off on a run into the box through the middle but his shot did not have the power needed to beat Marosi, who dived to make a comfortable stop.

Another strike by Walker flew off-target, before Woolery sent a first-time shot over the bar at the other end after a pull-back from Whitaker on the left.

Woolery headed wide from a Finley cross as the home side continued to look for a breakthrough with half-time looming.

But when the deadlock was broken on 43 minutes, it was the Mariners who took the lead with a superb move.  Walker played the ball to Green inside the box and his touch found AMALUZOR, who sent a powerful strike into the roof of the net from close range.

Two added minutes were played at the end of the first half and with no further chances coming for either side, Town went in at the break with the advantage.

SECOND HALF

No substitutions were made ahead of the restart and Tranmere were the first to attack as Finley found Joseph with a cross-field ball but when the winger cut inside, Sweeney made a good challenge to stop him.

Town’s first chance of the second half came when a good touch by Cook gave Green the space to send a low cross along the six-yard line from the right.  Amaluzor met it but could only lift the ball over the bar under pressure from defender Smith.

A foul on Sweeney gave the visitors a free kick inside the Tranmere half, although Marosi was not troubled from it as the left-back eventually shot wide.

Dennis and Ironside were sent on in place of Kenneh and Woolery on 53 minutes as the home side looked for a way of changing the course of the game in their favour.

Warren fired over the bar under pressure moments later, before Smith got to a long ball ahead of Dennis at the other end.

Smiith stayed down after a collision with Ironside but was passed fit to continue, then Cook was blocked after Vernam sent a low cross over from the left.  Will Tamen cleared and a mistake by McJannet looked to have given Ironside an opportunity but the defender recovered brilliantly to get back and win a challenge with the striker.

A Whitaker corner was headed behind for another one as the hosts continued to turn up the pressure and this time, they made it count as Whitaker’s right-wing delivery found SMITH to power a header into the net from six yards and make it 1-1 with 64 minutes on the clock.

Soonsup-Bell and Oduor replaced Cook and Green after the goal in Town’s first changes, then Smith caught a cross from Ethan Bristow as Tranmere aimed to complete the turnaround, with the momentum now in their favour.

Warren headed a long throw from Stephan Negru behind for a corner on 70 minutes but Kacurri was first to Whitaker’s ball from the flag and Sweeney completed the clearance.

Ironside stopped Warren on the edge of the box as Town had their own spell of pressure, then an offside decision went against Soonsup-Bell after a shot by Oduor ricocheted against him.

Kabia came on for Turi with 14 minutes to go and the Mariners had a corner soon afterwards when Amaluzor’s cross was blocked.  Vernam’s delivery was headed away at the near post but Town kept possession and Vernam saw a shot blocked by Finley.

A push on Soonsup-Bell by Watson gave the visitors a free kick on the right on 81 minutes but they were unable to make it count, then Amaluzor cut inside from the right and let fly with a swerving strike from the edge of the box but Marosi dived to push the ball away from goal.

Staunton and Burns came on for Sweeney and Amaluzor in Town’s final substitutions with six minutes remaining.

Ironside then headed over the bar from a Tranmere corner as the home side looked for a late winner to confirm their EFL survival, although other scorelines were now in their favour.

The pressure continued with a Negru long throw but Finley could only head wide from it, then Walker saw the first yellow card of the game for a foul after the clock ticked into at least four added minutes.

Smith comfortably stopped a shot from Dennis, before James Plant replaced Finley as the hosts looked to their bench once more.

Neither side could find a winning goal in the remaining time and they were left to settle for a point apiece, with Harrogate Town’s home defeat by Barnet and Crawley Town’s draw with Salford City meaning Tranmere can look forward to League Two football again next season.

The Mariners, meanwhile, finish seventh in the league table and can now turn their full attention to next week’s home leg against Salford, with Chesterfield facing Notts County in the other semi-final.

Town: Smith, Warren, Kacurri, McJannet, Sweeney (Staunton, 84), Turi (Kabia, 77), Amaluzor (Burns, 84), Green (Oduor, 65), Walker, Vernam, Cook (Soonsup-Bell, 65)

Subs not used: Pym, Brown

UTM