Two second-half goals sent the Mariners to defeat as Notts County took all three points away from Blundell Park.

Both sides created good chances in an entertaining first 45 minutes but neither could find a breakthrough.

Instead, the opening goal came just before the hour, when Notts’ leading scorer Matthew Dennis gave them the lead.

Town had plenty of pressure as they looked for an equaliser but it was not to come and Alassana Jatta confirmed the away side’s win when he made it 2-0 in stoppage time.

One change was made to the Grimsby XI after Tuesday’s draw at Shrewsbury Town, with Evan Khouri coming into the midfield in place of Jamie Walker, who moved to the bench.

Christy Pym started in goal, with Harvey Rodgers, Doug Tharme, Cameron McJannet and Reece Staunton forming an unchanged defence.  George McEachran sat behind Darragh Burns, Kieran Green, Khouri and Charles Vernam in midfield, while Jaze Kabia led the attack.

Walker was joined among the substitutes by Charlie Casper, Tyrell Warren, Geza Turi, Clarke Oduor, Justin Amaluzor and Jude Soonsup-Bell.

Notts made the short journey to Cleethorpes looking for a win which would see them move back up to second in the Sky Bet League Two table following Swindon Town’s lunchtime victory over Bristol Rovers.

Manager Martin Paterson would be looking for Dennis and Jatta to add to their nine and seven league goals respectively, while Jodi Jones could provide quality from the bench if required.

FIRST HALF

Kabia went down underside the Notts penalty area within the opening 30 seconds but the referee waved play on, then a curling strike by Connor Grant was blocked at the other end.

The visitors had the first good chance of the game on three minutes, as McJannet got his head to Nick Tsaroulla’s chip to the far post and the ball fell for Keanan Bennetts but he could only shoot wide from a narrow angle.

Notts also won the first corner after Tom Iorpenda drove into the box from the left and sent a low cross over.  The flag-kick broke for Bennetts and he worked the space for a shot from 20 yards but fired over the bar. a challenge in

Vernam could not pick out a team-mate with a cross from the left on 12 minutes as Town started to come into the game as an attacking force, then keeper Kelle Roos was called into action for the first time as he dived to block a strike by Staunton.

The Mariners were starting to take control of the game after their visitors had enjoyed the better of the opening 10 minutes, although Tharme needed to make a good challenge to stop Iorpenda and end a slick away attack.

Green slid to make a great block and deny Iorpenda after a short stoppage for Khouri to receive treatment, then a Town free kick from the left led to a scramble inside the six-yard box but Kabia’s shot was blocked and nobody could force the loose ball over the line as Roos eventually held on to it.

A push on Green earned Matty Platt the afternoon’s first yellow card on 27 minutes but Burns was unable to hit the target from the resulting free kick.

Green did well to win a throw-in on the left on 34 minutes and from it, Town built an attack which led to Staunton crossing.  His ball was flicked on by Kabia but Burns, arriving at the far post, could only lift it over the bar.

A clever ball into the box from McEachran was put behind for a corner by Platt and the hosts tried a training-ground move from it as Vernam played the ball low to Kabia and got it back but saw his cross-shot drift off-target.

McJannet was booked on 41 minutes for bringing Iorpenda down to stop a Notts counter-attack  but the resulting free kick was eventually dealt with as Khouri cleared.

Green drilled a low effort just wide from 20 yards after Tharme had picked Vernam out with a cross-field ball from the right, then a shot from Vernam was deflected wide for a corner as Town looked for a breakthrough before half-time.  The flag-kick was punched by Roos and the away defence eventually got the ball away from danger.

Tsaroulla curled a 20-yard strike wide at the other end just before the clock ticked into a minimum of two added minutes and with no further chances coming for either side, an entertaining first half finished goalless.

SECOND HALF

No changes were made before the restart and Jatta won an early corner for the away side but Vernam got to Bennetts’ delivery first.

Green fired over the bar from distance two minutes in, before a stoppage came for Tharme to receive treatment after being caught with an arm to his face in an aerial challenge.

Pym got down to stop a low ball across the six-yard line from Dennis, before Burns caught Bennetts’ trailing leg to give Notts a free kick in a dangerous position to the left of the Town box.  Bennetts’ ball from it was blocked by McEachran in the home wall.

Town had a chance soon afterwards when an attempted ball out of defence from Platt was blocked by Green.  It broke for Kabia and he found Vernam but Roos dived to stop the winger’s low shot.

Soon afterwards, the deadlock was broken at the other end, as DENNIS worked the space for a shot from 25 yards and curled a superb, low strike beyond the dive of Pym to find the far-bottom corner of the net.

A foul on Green gave the Mariners an opportunity to respond from a free kick wide on the right.  Staunton sent it to the near post but the ball was cleared as far as Khouri and Town built again, keeping possession until Green was stopped inside the box.

The home pressure continued as a strike from Burns took a deflection for a corner, although Vernam’s delivery from the flag beat everybody and bounced out for a goal kick.

Jones replaced Bennetts and Kellan Gordon came on for Tsaroulla as Notts made the first substitutions of the game on 68 minutes.

Town responded by sending Amaluzor and Walker on two minutes later, with Burns and Khouri making way.

Green missed the target with a speculative shot from his own half as he attempted to catch Roos off his line, then a Vernam cross from the left did not find a team-mate as the Mariners kept searching for an equaliser.

Soonsup-Bell and Oduor replaced Staunton and Vernam on with 14 minutes to go and Soonsup-Bell forced a corner soon afterwards as he looked to meet a cross from Kabia.  The flag-kick eventually led to Walker shooting wide from distance and Roos was booked for time-wasting over the resulting goal kick.

Notts’ latest change saw Max Kouhyar come on for Grant on 80 minutes, before good defending by Lewis Macari saw him reach a Rodgers cross ahead of Kabia to get the ball away for a corner.

A further corner followed but Jatta headed Soonsup-Bell’s delivery clear, then a great ball into the six-yard box by McEachran proved inches too far ahead of Kabia for him to make contact at the far post.

Dennis and Macari made way for Jack Hinchy and Lucas Ness in the green of the away side as they made their final changes with three minutes left.

Green then won a free kick near the right edge of the box but Amaluzor could only head Soonsup-Bell’s ball over the bar.

Six added minutes gave Town further opportunity to force an equaliser but instead, the visitors made sure of the points with a second goal.  Tharme lost possession inside his own half to leave JATTA through on goal and after rounding Pym, the striker tapped into the net in front of the travelling fans.

Oduor headed through to Roos as the hosts continued to attack but that proved to be their final opportunity to get on the scoresheet as they were left to taste defeat.

The Mariners are next in action on Saturday, when they travel to Bromley for a 12.30pm kick-off.

Town: Pym, Rodgers, Tharme, McJannet, Staunton (Soonsup-Bell, 76), McEachran, Burns (Amaluzor, 70), Green, Khouri (Walker, 70), Vernam (Oduor, 76), Kabia

Subs not used: Casper, Warren, Turi

UTM