Grimsby Town were beaten on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Manchester City U21 in their second Bristol Street Motors Trophy group match at Blundell Park.

In a game which looked to be heading towards a goalless draw, the young visitors appeared to have snatched all three points when substitute Reigan Heskey’s 89th-minute goal gave them the lead.

But Town had other ideas and Danny Rose’s stoppage-time volley earned them a point and set up a shoot-out for a bonus point.

Returning goalkeeper Jordan Wright’s save from Charlie Gray gave the hosts an early advantage but Denver Hume fired over the bar and Cameron Gardner also missed from the spot to hand the away side the extra point and end the Mariners’ chances of progressing to the knockout rounds with a game still to play.

Eight changes were made to the Grimsby XI from the team that began Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two defeat by Milton Keynes Dons, with only Doug Tharme, Cameron McJannet and Evan Khouri starting both games.

Wright made his return from injury in goal, with Lewis Cass, Tharme, McJannet and Matty Carson forming the defence.  Jason Svanthorsson, Callum Ainley, Jayden Luker and Khouri were the midfielders, while Gardner and Donovan Wilson led the attack.

The substitutes were Seb Auton, Kieran Green, Harvey Rodgers, George McEachran, Tyrell Warren, Hume and Rose.

Manchester City’s elite development squad arrived in Cleethorpes on the back of a six-game winning run in Premier League 2, with the latest of those being a 5-0 away victory at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday which took them to the top of the table.

Ben Wilkinson’s side were also playing their second Trophy fixture of the season and came into it with one point after a 1-1 draw at Chesterfield, with the Spireites picking up the extra point for winning the resulting penalty shoot-out.

Max Alleyne lifted a shot over the bar from 20 yards as the visitors were the first to attack, before centre-back Stephen Mfuni held off Wilson at the other end to see the ball out for a goal kick.

Michael Okeke turned and fired just wide and Carson was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul as City dominated possession in the early stages, although Wright remained untroubled at the quarter-hour mark.

Town’s first opening came on 18 minutes when a ball down the right found Svanthorsson.  He pulled it back for Wilson but after turning, the striker was unable to find a finish.

At the other end, a cross-shot from Justin Oboavwoduo took a deflection for the game’s first corner, then a second City corner on 25 minutes was cleared.

A foul on Khouri gave the Mariners an opportunity with a free kick on the right and Ainley’s delivery into the penalty area was met by Tharme but his header was caught by 16-year-old goalkeeper Oliver Whatmuff.

Another free kick came in a similar position on the half-hour, although this time, it did not lead to a chance in front of goal.

Nevertheless, Town were seeing much more of the ball after the away side’s dominant opening to the contest, as they looked for a way to break the deadlock.

Svanthorsson sent a deflected shot through to Whatmuff after good play by Ainley, then Wilson did well to chase down a loose ball and pull it back across box, although nobody in black and white was in place to convert the chance.

Emilio Lawrence won a corner on the away left on 40 minutes but the low delivery from it was blocked and Town broke through Svanthorsson, although he could only find Whatmuff with a long ball from the right.

Cass sent a powerful, low effort just wide from 20 yards as the home side went the closest so far to opening the scoring, with the shot taking a deflection for a corner.  The flag-kick was not fully dealt with and Oboavwoduo picked up City’s first yellow card for a high challenge on Ainley.

Svanthorsson was denied by a good save from Whatmuff to earn another corner after the first half moved into one added minute, although Cass headed wide from it in what turned out to be the last action of note ahead of the interval, with the game still goalless.

SECOND HALF

McEachran and Rodgers replaced Khouri and McJannet for Town before the restart butt it was the away side who had the first opportunity of the half.  After a quickly-taken free kick, Jaden Heskey’s cross from the right picked out Lawrence but his volley bounced over the bar.

Another free kick from Seb Naylor took a heavy deflection on its way wide for a corner and after it was played short, Will Dickson showed good skill to turn into the box but the danger was dealt with by Tharme.

Green replaced Ainley in Grimsby’s third change on 53 minutes and soon afterwards, a Carson free kick from the home left was headed clear.

Green’s first involvement saw him make good progress down the right before driving a cross over for Svanthorsson, who turned and worked an opening but sent his chipped shot just wide.

Rodgers stopped Dickson as the City attacker aimed to create a chance at the other end, before Lawrence hit the side-netting from the edge of the box.

Cass did well to win the ball ahead of Okeke as the visitors came forward again, then Kayden Braithwaite replaced Naylor in their first change.

The Mariners were showing promising signs of their own at the other end but as Svanthorsson looked for an opening just after the hour, City broke at pace through Heskey, although Lawrence was caught offside when the ball was played through to him.

Mfuni saw the yellow card for pulling Wilson back near the halfway line but the resulting free kick was well-claimed by Whatmuff.

Hume came on for Luker with 20 minutes to go and the left-back had a chance to open the scoring four minutes later when a Green cross broke for him, although his side-footed strike was straight at Whatmuff.

Reigan Heskey and Ryan McAidoo came on for Lawrence and Oboavwoduo in City’s latest changes and McAidoo had a chance after a break by Dickson but could only send a tame effort through to Wright in the Town goal.

Rose was sent on in place of Wilson with 12 minutes remaining but the visitors had a great opportunity to take the lead soon afterwards.  Okeke played a through-ball for Jaden Heskey but after running clear, he could not beat Wright, who came off his line to make a good block.

Divine Mukasa replaced Okeke for City with 86 minutes on the clock and penalties looming, with both sides looking to find a winning goal and eliminate the need for a shoot-out.

And with two minutes to go, the visitors found that goal, as REIGAN HESKEY cut inside from the left and beat Wright with a curling strike to the far top corner of the net.

Town were given a minimum of four added minutes to find an equaliser and halfway through the additional period, they got it.  Hume’s cross from the left picked out ROSE and he stretched to volley past Whatmuff from close range.

The Mariners pushed forward in a bid to complete an unlikely turnaround and they won a corner on the right.  Tharme’s far-post header was deflected behind for another corner, this time on the left, but this time, the ball from the flag was cleared and the game went to penalties.

Wright saved from Gray to hand Town an early advantage in the shoot-out after Cass and City’s Mukasa had both scored from the spot.

Carson and Green both scored for Town, with Dickson and Reigan Heskey responding, but Hume’s penalty went over the bar to cancel out the advantage and after Whatmuff and Rose were both on-target to leave the score at 4-4, the shootout moved to sudden death.

Jaden Heskey edged the away side back ahead but Gardner’s penalty hit the bar and City took the extra point, to keep their chance of progression to the knockout stages of the competition alive and send the Mariners out, with the final group game at Chesterfield still to come on November 12.

For Town, attention now turns to the FA Cup and Saturday’s first round clash with Wealdstone at Blundell Park.

Town: Wright, Cass, Tharme, McJannet (Rodgers, 46), Carson, Svanthorsson, Ainley (Green, 53), Luker (Hume, 70), Khouri (McEachran, 46), Gardner, Wilson (Rose, 78)

UTM