The Mariners brought the curtain down on their 2023-24 season with an away defeat as they were beaten by Crawley Town at Broadfield Stadium.

Town had two excellent chances to open the scoring but were unable to take either of them and instead, fell behind on 24 minutes when Danilo Orsi struck against his old club to give the hosts the lead.
Klaidi Lolos then doubled their advantage 10 minutes later to ultimately seal the three points and with other results going in their favour, secure a play-off place for the West Sussex side.
Youth team striker Cameron Gardner was given his first senior start for Town after returning from a successful loan spell at Grimsby Borough.  His inclusion was one of three changes to the XI after last week’s home victory over Swindon Town, with Evan Khouri coming in for his first start of the season and Denver Hume returning to the line-up.  Niall Maher, Harry Wood and Gavan Holohan made way.
Jake Eastwood continued in goal, with Liam Smith, Toby Mullarkey, Harvey Rodgers and Hume forming a four-man defence.  Khouri, Curtis Thompson and Kieran Green were the midfielders and Gardner was joined by Donovan Wilson and Charles Vernam in attack.
Wood and Maher were both named on the bench, where they were joined by Harry Clifton, Jamie Andrews, Aaron Braithwaite, Jamie Bramwell and Seb Auton.
Crawley came into the game still with a chance of extending their campaign into the play-offs, although Doncaster Rovers’ midweek win at Colchester United had seen Scott Lindsey’s side slip out of the top seven, leaving them relying on results elsewhere.
Their main threat was likely to come from leading scorer and former Mariners striker Orsi, who was aiming to add to his season’s tally of 20 goals.
Gardner stepped in to stop a run from Jeremy Kelly as Crawley were the first to attack, before Town created a great chance from their first forward move of note.  Hume made progress down the left and pulled the ball back across the six-yard line but Gardner could only lift it over the bar from close range.
Adam Campbell missed the target from the edge of the penalty area after a run through the middle, then a cross from Ade Adeyemo on the home right beat everybody.
A foul by Khouri gave the hosts a free kick inside the Town half but Will Wright’s delivery into the box was caught by Eastwood.
A foul on Thompson then gave the Mariners a free kick, although when it was worked to Green, he was unable to find Wilson with a header across goal.
Hume won a corner on the away left on 17 minutes and after Mullarkey was beaten to the first header, the ball was played back into the box but Green’s header was off-target.
A flag-kick at the other end was cleared by Thompson, before a strike by Hume was blocked for a Town corner.  The ball was played short from the flag and Vernam then found Green with a brilliant cross to the far post but the midfielder misjudged his diving header and could only watch it roll just wide.
Vernam fired straight at home goalkeeper Corey Addai after a neat one-two with Green as Town continued to create chances.
But when the deadlock was broken on 24 minutes, it was Crawley who took the lead.  Jeremy Kelly sent a cross over from the left and ORSI got in between Rodgers and Hume to meet it and lift the ball over Eastwood.
Smith brought Lolos down to give the home side a free kick in a dangerous position but Eastwood was equal to Wright’s shot from it as he dived to push the ball away.  Orsi won a corner from the rebound but the ball from the flag was headed wide at the far post for a goal kick.
Green was off-target with a shot from distance on 28 minutes after Thompson had done well to win the ball in midfield, then Eastwood got down to stop an attempt by Adeyemo at the other end.
Gardner won a corner after good play by Smith and Green and it was played short by Vernam for Hume, whose cross was cleared.
Town fell further behind soon afterwards though, as they lost possession in midfield after Khouri appeared to be pulled back and LOLOS took the ball forward before beating Eastwood with a neat, low finish across goal.
Mullarkey blocked a shot from Adeyemo as Crawley looked for a third goal before half-time, before Vernam went close when he cut inside from the left and let fly from 30 yards with a strike which Addai’s fingertips deflected around the post for a corner.  The ball from the flag was played low to Thompson on the edge of the box but his shot was blocked.
Two added minutes were played at the end of the first half and despite creating some great chances, the Mariners found themselves two goals down at the break.

SECOND HALF

No changes were made before the restart and a foul on Wilson gave Town a free kick inside the Crawley half two minutes in, although they were unable to create a goalscoring opportunity from it,
Vernam won a corner on the left and it was headed away but the visitors kept possession until a Thompson cross from the right went out of play.
Mullarkey did well to intercept a pass from Adeyemo before it could reach Orsi and bring the ball clear out of defence, then Hume lifted a shot over the bar after Green had done well to cut into the penalty area and pull the ball back.
Mullarkey got the ball away for a corner after Adeyemo had beaten Hume on the home right, although Crawley were unable to profit from the flag-kick.
Liam Kelly was replaced by Ronan Darcy and Joy Mukena came on for Campbell as the hosts made a double-substitution on the hour.
A Vernam cross from the left was turned away for a corner on 65 minutes but after it was played short, the winger’s cross was caught by Addai.
Mullarkey sent a cross over from the right three minutes later but nobody in black and white was in place to meet it and Addai gathered it comfortably.
Andrews replaced Khouri in Town’s first change with 20 minutes to go, before Wilson was kept out at the near post by Addai, although the referee had already blown for a home free kick for a push by Gardner.
Clifton and Wood came on for Vernam and Thompson as the Mariners made two further changes on 78 minutes, with Kellan Gordon replacing Adeyemo for Crawley at the same time.
Another home substitution came on 86 minutes and saw Nick Tsaroulla replace Lolos.
A cross from Gordon was blocked by Green for a corner as the game moved into at least two minutes of added time and it turned into another one as Crawley looked to run the clock down.
No further chances came before the final whistle, which sparked celebrations in the home areas of the stadium as Crawley’s play-off place was confirmed.
For the Mariners, all thoughts will now turn towards next season, with a new Sky Bet League Two campaign offering an opportunity for the club to make progress.

UTM