The Mariners were forced to settle for a share of the spoils after a thrilling Sky Bet League Two clash with Fleetwood Town at Blundell Park ended level at 2-2.
The visitors took an early lead through striker Will Davies but after Kieran Green had a goal disallowed for offside, Town eventually got themselves back on level terms eight minutes before the break when Cian Doyle struck from close range.
Andy Cook completed the turnaround just after the hour but the hosts’ lead lasted just five minutes until defender Finley Potter headed Fleetwood level.
Both sides pushed for a winner as heavy rain fell and Cook thought he had found it three minutes from time but again, the offside flag cut the celebrations short and instead, it was a point apiece at the end of a game which neither team deserved to lose.
Town head coach David Artell again named an unchanged starting XI, sticking with the same team that began both of the previous league games against Exeter City and Walsall.
Christy Pym continued in goal, with Harvey Rodgers, Maldini Kacurri, Cameron McJannet and Jayden Sweeney forming the defence. Geza Turi sat behind Justin Amaluzor, Green, Doyle and Charles Vernam in midfield, while Cook led the attack.
Sonny Finch came straight into the matchday squad with a place on the bench after joining the club from South Shields in midweek. Seb Auton, Jamie Walker, Iwan Morgan, Ryley Reynolds, Joe Foulkes and Edon Pruti were also named as substitutes.
Fleetwood made the coast-to-coast journey from Lancashire looking to continue their own unbeaten start to the season, after following up their 1-0 opening day away victory over Chesterfield with a goalless draw at home to Gillingham last time out.
Manager Matt Lawlor would look to strikers Davies and Ched Evans to cause the main threat to the Town defence.
FIRST HALF
Green headed a Lewis McCann long throw clear as the visitors attacked first and the midfielder also dealt with a Harrison Neal free kick from the left soon afterwards.
Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch came off his line to beat Cook to an intelligent ball over the top from Turi as the Mariners went forward for the first time but the away side had the early momentum and they took the lead after winning a corner on the right. Neal played the ball short to Andy Cannon and his low delivery into the box was flicked into the path of DAVIES, who beat Pym with a first-time finish.
Sweeney could not direct his header from a Rodgers cross towards goal as the hosts looked to respond, then a free kick from the left was eventually cleared by Mark Helm.
Vernam linked up with Cook on the left to earn Town’s first corner on 13 minutes but defender Shaun Rooney headed Vernam’s flag-kick clear.
Green had the ball in the net on 16 minutes after Cook flicked the ball on when a Doyle shot was blocked, although the offside flag meant the goal did not count.
Town were seeing much more of the ball as the 20-minute mark passed but a well-organised Fleetwood defence made it difficult for them to create chances.
Rodgers was booked after the referee initially played a good advantage following a foul near the halfway line, then Pym dived to his left to tip an Evans header around his post for a corner, which was cleared.
Cook was almost presented with an opportunity from a short back-pass by Rooney but Lynch was alert to the danger and came off his line to clear for a throw-in.
Cannon saw the yellow card for his reaction to a foul by Doyle near the home dug-out, then a foul by McJannet gave the visitors a free kick in a dangerous position on their left but Helm’s shot missed the target.
Kacurri did well to stop the run of Davies from the Fleetwood left on the half-hour and see the ball out for a goal kick, then a Vernam cross from the Town left was cleared by Rhys Bennett before it could reach Cook.
Instead, the equaliser came on 37 minutes, as Green beat the offside trap to run onto a ball over the top from Turi. He made progress down the right before playing a low ball across the six-yard line which DOYLE connected with to tap into the net for his first Grimsby goal.
Fleetwood boss Lawlor was yellow-carded for his protests after the assistant referee’s flag stayed down to allow the goal to stand.
Town now had the momentum as they looked to complete the turnaround before half-time and they had a corner on the right after Amaluzor also stayed onside to run onto the ball on the right and hit a cross which was turned behind. Sweeney’s delivery from the flag was not fully dealt with and a return ball into the box found Cook but he could only flick it through to keeper Lynch.
Two added minutes were played at the end of the first half and Potter became the latest to be booked when he brought Amaluzor down as the winger aimed to break into the Fleetwood half.
No further chances came before the half-time whistle, leaving the scores level at the break.
SECOND HALF
Finch was given his Grimsby debut as he replaced Amaluzor before the restart in the first substitution of the afternoon.
Lynch caught a long, diagonal ball from McJannet before it could reach Green as the hosts went straight onto the attack, before a header back from Rodgers to Pym had just enough power to reach the keeper as Davies aimed to pounce.
Fleetwood were inches away from reclaiming the lead soon afterwards as Cannon broke through the middle and played a through-ball for Evans. He took it into the box and held off the challenge of McJannet but could only watch his low strike bounce back off the near post.
Town’s next chance came on 51 minutes after McJannet played a great, cross-field ball to Vernam on the left. He found Cook with a low cross and the striker turned near the penalty spot but could only fire straight at Lynch.
McCann shot straight at Pym from a 30-yard free kick in a central position, before Finch missed the target at the other end with a first-time effort when Vernam’s low, left-wing cross broke for him.
Davies became the latest to see the yellow card after a foul on Rodgers near the halfway line as the rain falling on the Blundell Park turf turned heavier.
Ronan Coughlan replaced Davies on the hour as Fleetwood made a change in attack but the pressure was building on the away defence as Town pushed for a second goal and Bennett was booked for a foul on Green near the edge of the box. The free kick led to a corner and from it, the hosts went close with a training-ground routine which saw Vernam play the ball low to Turi. He pulled it back for Finch on the 18-yard line but the striker’s shot flew just over the bar.
Pym collected a cross from Raffaele Cirino at the other end and seconds later, the hosts were celebrating as defence instantly turned into attack and the Mariners finally took the lead. Pym rolled the ball out to Turi in the middle and he made progress before sliding a low ball through for COOK to take on and beat Lynch with a low strike from inside the penalty area.
Fleetwood looked for an immediate response from a free kick on the left but Pym punched Neal’s delivery away and a follow-up strike from Cannon led to a corner. The away pressure continued with another corner which was cleared by Green but as the visitors continued to attack, they found their leveller when a Cannon cross was met by POTTER to head down into the net.
Finch made a good block from McCann, before Morgan replaced Vernam in Town’s second change with 16 minutes to go.
Adam Murphy replaced Cannon for Fleetwood three minutes later after the midfielder went down with an injury, then Kacurri picked up the latest yellow card for a shirt-pull on Coughlan.
Pym dived to make a stop from Neal after a superb block by Rodgers denied Helm, with both sides pushing forward in search of a way to win the game.
Morgan won a corner on the Grimsby left on 82 minutes but his ball from the flag was headed clear, before Walker was sent on in place of Doyle.
Neal escaped punishment for a late challenge on Turi as the referee allowed play to continue, then great defending by Kacurri saw him stop Coughlan on the edge of the box.
The Mariners thought they had found their winner three minutes from time when Turi picked out Cook with a cross from the right and the striker nodded the ball into the net but the celebrations around the ground were cut short by the offside flag.
A foul by Cook brought another home attack to an end, before a Morgan long throw was headed clear as the game moved into a minimum of four added minutes.
Finch forced a corner and it turned into another as the pressure continued. That led to a third consecutive corner but this time, after it was played short from the flag to Walker, Morgan’s shot was held by Lynch.
Green sent a deep cross out for a goal kick from the right and that proved to be the final opportunity for either side to force a winner as an entertaining contest finished all-square.
Town are next in action on Tuesday, when they travel to Accrington Stanley.
Town: Pym, Rodgers, Kacurri, McJannet, Sweeney, Amaluzor (Finch, 46), Green, Doyle (Walker, 83), Vernam (Morgan, 74), Cook
Subs not used: Auton, Reynolds, Foulkes, Pruti
UTM
