Our youth team returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Lincoln City on Saturday.

Harvey Booth opened the scoring for the Young Mariners at Brigg Town’s EC Surfacing Stadium, before a Charlie Hatton brace sealed the three EFL Youth Alliance league points for Neil Woods’ side.

After seeing their unbeaten league record come to an end in a 3-1 defeat by Bradford City last time out, Town were on top for much of the lunchtime contest in the North Lincolnshire sunshine.

Booth put them ahead and Hatton’s first goal doubled the advantage but Lincoln pulled one back from the penalty spot through Josh Kennealey seven minutes before half-time.

The Young Mariners went on to restore their two-goal cushion when Hatton scored again from the game’s second penalty eight minutes after the restart.

Lincoln had spells of pressure as they aimed to come back into the game but assured defending led by centre-backs Charlie Elliott and Alex Graham kept the visitors at bay.

FIRST HALF

Town had the first chance of the game on four minutes when Fortune Onoh played the ball through for Curtis Manjika on the left.  He took it on to the edge of the box but sent his shot over the bar.

A low cross from Kristian Catchpole on the left flashed across the six-yard line without anybody getting a touch, as the hosts continued to make the early running.

And they took the lead on 10 minutes when BOOTH ran onto a through ball and beat the advancing Isaac Shaw in the Lincoln goal, with the referee ruling the ball had crossed the line despite the keeper’s best efforts to keep it out.

Booth looked for a second goal two minutes later but this time, his low effort was pushed away from danger by Shaw.

Lincoln’s Kenzie Oliver saw the first yellow card of the afternoon on 18 minutes for a high foot on Onoh, then Booth sent a low strike just wide of the far post after a great pass from Hatton.

The visitors made an early substitution on 21 minutes as one of six trialists in their starting XI was replaced by Gael Mande and Booth then looked to have created another opening from the right when his pace took him past centre-back Oliver, only for the winger to slip after cutting into the penalty area.

Onoh turned on the edge of the box but saw his shot blocked as Grimsby continued to dominate and they went on to double their lead three minutes before the half-hour with a superbly-worked goal.  Manjika looked up from the left and played a perfectly-weighted ball into the box for HATTON, who calmly rounded Shaw and finished from eight yards.

Elliott blocked a cross at the other end as the away side aimed to get themselves back into the game but Town were still firmly on top and Manjika won a corner when his 18-yard shot was blocked.  Hatton’s delivery from the left was headed back across goal by Graham but the Lincoln defence recovered to clear.

Catchpole won another corner on the left soon afterwards but Carlo Midwinter’s header from it flew over the bar, then a foul on Hatton by Kian Sagoo brought a further opportunity to attack from a free kick on the left.  Hatton’s delivery to the far post was headed away.

Lincoln were given the chance to halve their deficit from a penalty on 38 minutes when an unfortunate handball decision went against the Young Mariners as a powerful strike from Kennealey was blocked at close range.  KENNEALEY took the spot-kick himself and calmly sent goalkeeper Hayden Rogers the wrong way to make it 2-1.

Sagoo steered a low shot wide as the visitors now looked to get themselves level, then a cross from Mande was cleared.

Mamudu Jalloh and Midwinter then combined to create an opening for Manjika, who won a Town corner on the left.  Hatton’s ball was eventually cleared.

Two added minutes were played at the end of the first half and one of the Lincoln trialists was off-target from the edge of the box as the away side missed their last chance to restore parity before the break, with Town retaining the advantage at half-time.

SECOND HALF

Fletcher Don-Duncan replaced Oliver for the visitors before the restart and Booth had Town’s first opportunity after good battling by Manjika saw him win the ball.  The winger took a touch and cut inside but his strike was blocked.

A foul by Onoh on Kennealey gave Lincoln a free kick inside the Grimsby half but Rogers came off his line to claim the delivery into the box from one of the trialists.

Moments later, the Young Mariners had a penalty when Midwinter raced through and was brought down by another trialist.  The defender was shown the yellow card after the referee ruled Midwinter was going away from goal when the challenge was made, then HATTON stepped up to beat Shaw from the spot and make it 3-1.

Rogers got down to stop a low cross from Mande on the away right and soon afterwards, the Imps substitute won a corner but a trialist volleyed wide from it.

Booth fired across goal after dispossessing Don-Duncan but Shaw got fingertips to the strike to turn the ball away for a corner and Town were unable to profit from the flag-kick.

Another opportunity came just before the hour at the end of a well-worked move but when Manjika played the ball to the far post, Booth could only turn it wide from a narrow angle.

Charlie Carrick, Lennon Peterson and Ted Sharp replaced Catchpole, Manjika and Midwinter as Town made a triple-substitution on 60 minutes.

Elliott’s glancing header from a Hatton free kick was then stopped by Shaw, before a short spell of Lincoln pressure went unrewarded for the away side.

Good defending by Kian Hawley saw him come out on top in a battle with a trialist on the Lincoln left, before Kennealey had two chances in quick succession but volleyed through to Rogers with the first and fired over the bar from the second.

Hatton lifted an attempt over the bar after Peterson and Sharp had linked up on the left, then a further spell of Lincoln possession led to a corner on their right. Onoh headed clear from it.

Booth won a corner at the other end soon afterwards but Town could not make it count and George Smith replaced Booth as the hosts made a fourth change with 10 minutes to go.

Elliott headed clear from a Sagoo free kick, then the centre-back was involved in attack as he played a superb ball for Peterson on the left.  The winger’s first touch took him inside to set up a shooting opportunity but he fired just wide of the near post.

Elliott found Peterson again on 85 minutes but this time, the winger’s low cross went through to Shaw.

Sharp was blocked as Town kept looking for a fourth goal, then Onoh won a corner on the right as the game moved into four added minutes.  Hatton’s ball was headed away.

That proved to be the final opportunity for Town to add to their score and put extra gloss on what had been an excellent afternoon’s work as they saw out the remainder of the game to collect maximum points.

Town: Hayden Rogers, Kian Hawley, Kristian Catchpole (Charlie Carrick, 60), Mamudu Jalloh, Charlie Elliott, Alex Graham, Harvey Booth (George Smith, 80), Fortune Onoh, Carlo Midwinter (Ted Sharp, 60), Charlie Hatton, Curtis Manjika (Lennon Peterson, 60)

Sub not used: Flynn Hedges

UTM