The Mariners began the new Sky Bet League Two season with a narrow away defeat as relegated Fleetwood Town took the opening-day points at Highbury Stadium.

Town, backed by a large and noisy travelling support on a sunny afternoon on the Fylde coast, started brightly and created two early chances through Charles Vernam and Jason Dadi Svanthorsson.

But the momentum swung towards the hosts and they took the lead on 18 minutes when Mark Helm marked his Fleetwood debut with a goal.

Grimsby worked hard throughout the contest but found chances hard to come by after falling behind and were ultimately unable to force an equaliser.

Five summer signings made their competitive debuts for Town from the start, with Jordan Wright, Lewis Cass, Cameron McJannet, Svanthorsson and George McEachran all securing places in David Artell’s XI. The two newest recruits, Luca Barrington and Jordan Davies, were both named on the bench.

Wright began in goal, with Cass, Harvey Rodgers, McJannet and Denver Hume forming the defence. Evan Khouri and Kieran Green anchored the midfield, while Svanthorsson, McEachran and Charles Vernam formed a trio in front of them and Donovan Wilson led the attack.

Barrington and Davies were joined among the substitutes by Jake Eastwood, Callum Ainley, Danny Rose, Tyrell Warren and Cameron Gardner.

Fleetwood were looking to make a positive start to life back in the fourth tier after dropping from League One last term.

Head coach Charlie Adam named four close-season signings on his first teamsheet of the new campaign in Mackenzie Hunt, Elliott Bonds, Helm and Zach Medley, while substitute Matty Virtue added a fifth summer recruit to the matchday squad.

Town had an early opportunity when Vernam hit the side-netting after being found by Green, then Svanthorsson took advantage of a mistake by Fleetwood captain Brendan Wiredu but saw his shot blocked for a corner.

Ronan Coughlan was caught offside at the other end when he met a good cross from Helm on the right to send a header onto the post, before a Carl Johnston cross was blocked to give the hosts their first corner. Hunt’s delivery from the flag was headed clear.

Helm fired wide of the near post from the right edge of the penalty area on 10 minutes, then a further two Fleetwood corners were dealt with by the Town defence as the home side looked for an early breakthrough.

A deep cross from Hume picked Svanthorsson out at the far post but he was unable to bring the ball under control, although there had been plenty of positive early signs from the Mariners as they looked neat in possession.

Fleetwood were creating the better chances though and Tom Lonergan had an opportunity when he met a chip into the box from Coughlan, only to head straight at Wright.

The deadlock was broken soon afterwards and it was the hosts who opened the scoring, as Danny Mayor found Hunt on the left and his low ball into the box was swept into the net by Helm.

Svanthorsson needed treatment after taking a knock to his right foot in a challenge with Bonds but was initially passed fit to play on and after play resumed, Rodgers was shown the game’s first yellow card for bringing Lonergan down to stop a Fleetwood counter-attack. The resulting free kick from the left went through to Wright.

Town were forced into a substitution on the half-hour as Svanthorson was unable to continue and Barrington was sent on in his place.

Coughlan was denied by the offside flag soon afterwards after the home side looked to have worked an opening, then a foul on McEachran gave the Mariners a free kick just inside the Fleetwood half. Hume’s delivery into the box dropped for Cass and he won a corner after his shot was blocked but the referee spotted a foul when Hume sent the ball across from the flag and blew for a home free kick.

A great ball from Khouri gave Vernam an opportunity to make progress on the left, although he was outmuscled by Wiredu when he cut into the box and the defender went on to earn a goal kick.

Town won a corner on the left two minutes before the break and they kept possession from it until a loose ball in midfield was claimed by Lonergan.

David Harrington had remained untroubled in the home goal so far but he was called into action in the first of five added minutes at the end of the first half. Wilson took advantage of a mistake and threaded the ball through for Barrington to run onto but the keeper rushed off his line to make a block from the Brighton loanee.

Vernam saw a strike blocked from inside the box soon afterwards and that proved to be Town’s final opportunity to restore parity before half-time, with Fleetwood’s single-goal advantage remaining intact at the break.

SECOND HALF

No further changes were made before the restart and the away side put a promising move together three minutes in, although it ended when McEachran went down under a challenge 25 yards out. No action was taken by the referee and Fleetwood cleared.

Soon afterwards, Vernam set off on a run down the left and found Hume. The left-back looked for Green with a low ball towards the penalty spot but again, the hosts cleared their lines.

A corner came at the other end on 52 minutes but Hunt’s delivery from the right was headed away at the near post for a throw-in. From it, the ball was worked to Mayor, whose first-time shot was comfortably stopped by Wright.

Ryan Graydon replaced Lonergan in Fleetwood’s first change on 58 minutes and the substitute’s first involvement was to win a corner on the right, although Hunt’s ball from the flag beat everybody and dropped out for a goal kick.

Green made way for Davies in the blue of Town on the hour but the hosts were looking the more threatening of the two teams and they won another corner when a strike by Hunt was blocked by Cass.

McEachran had to make a clearance when the ball was sent into the danger zone again, before a through-ball from Graydon was touched out for a corner by Rodgers. This time, the flag-kick was comfortably caught by Wright.

Davies was booked for a late challenge on Helm near the halfway line on 69 minutes and the resulting free kick was played low to Hunt on the left but his deep cross was claimed by Wright.
Town made a triple-substitution with 17 minutes remaining, as Rose, Ainley and Gardner replaced Wilson, Vernam and McEachran. Phoenix Patterson and Virtue were both sent on in the red of Fleetwood at the same time.

Hunt won a corner on the home left as the clock ticked into the last 10 minutes but again, they were unable to make the most of the set-piece opportunity as the ball from the flag beat everybody.

Graydon found space in the right channel on 83 minutes but his pull-back for Virtue fell just behind the run of the midfielder and Town’s deficit remained at one goal.

Rose won a corner at the other end in front of the travelling fans but Barrington’s delivery from the flag went all the way across the pitch for a throw-in.

Rose looked to have a chance when he controlled a great ball into the box and fired against the bar but the offside flag had already one up against the striker.

A blocked strike from Graydon brought a corner for the hosts in the last minute of the 90 but they were unable to make it count.

Four added minutes were played at the end of the game, although Town were not able to create a chance to claim a share of the spoils and were forced to return home empty-handed.

The Mariners are next in action on Tuesday, when they face Bradford City at Blundell Park in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

Town: Wright, Cass, Rodgers, McJannet, Hume, Khouri, Green (Davies, 60), Svanthorsson (Barrington, 30), McEachran (Gardner, 73), Vernam (Ainley, 73), Wilson (Rose, 73)