Our youth team produced an excellent performance in their final game of the season to earn a 2-2 draw with a strong Doncaster Rovers side.
A much-changed Young Mariners XI made the trip to South Yorkshire for their last Youth Alliance league outing of the campaign and they came under pressure for long periods of the first half but defended well and went on to take the lead against the run of play through Grayson Giles.
Rovers were back on level terms two minutes before half-time when Justin Bennett headed home and they completed the turnaround with another header on the hour, this time from striker Charlie Thompson.
But Town were not to be beaten and Giles scored his second goal of the game from the penalty spot to earn a point and ensure Neil Woods’ side finished the Merit League stage of the season unbeaten in four matches.
An early home free kick from the right led to Grimsby keeper Hayden Rogers saving from Doncaster captain Will Flint, with the resulting corner headed behind for another one.
A further corner came on six minutes but Sam Straughan-Brown’s delivery from the home left bounced off the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick.
Will Green was caught offside as the hosts continued their bright start, before Kenneth Imariagbe intercepted an attempted clearance from Rogers but was unable to capitalise.
Ethan Hodgett saw a strike blocked after a pull-back from Imariagbe, before a foul on Jack Collins gave Town their first chance to attack with a free kick from the right. Elliott Smith’s low delivery into the penalty area was cleared.
Grimsby continued to play their way into the game and a corner from the left was cleared, before a Giles cross proved too strong and bounced away for a throw-in.
Smith forced home keeper Jake Oram to dive and make a stop when he hit a low effort from a narrow angle on 22 minutes, then a cross from Straughan-Brown at the other end was headed clear.
A cross-shot by left-back Aaron Cashmore drifted over the bar, before Town defender Mamadu Jalloh headed a Green cross away from danger.
Doncaster’s Jacob Bacon saw the first yellow card of the morning on the half-hour for a foul near the halfway line, then a Tom Rennardson cross from the Grimsby left was caught by Oram.
Green narrowly missed the target with a low shot from 20 yards, then another low effort by Green was blocked for a corner on the right. That turned into another one on the left and a third consecutive flag-kick followed. The pressure continued with a fourth, which led to Giles heading behind for yet another corner. This time, Green fired off-target from 20 yards.
Imariagbe shot straight at Rogers after a neat attacking move as Doncaster kept asking the questions in attack.
But when the opening goal arrived on 38 minutes, the Young Mariners grabbed the advantage. Rennardson found GILES on the left side of the box and he beat Oram with a low finish across goal.
Oram caught a cross from Giles as Town immediately went in search of a second goal, before a free kick from the home right was headed on by Charlie Carrick and caught by Rogers.
Doncaster found their equaliser two minutes before half-time, after Green had created an opening from the right. Rogers made a good save from Thompson’s shot and after another close-range attempt was blocked, BENNETT headed the loose ball into the net.
A foul by Alfie Foy on Straughan-Brown gave the home side a free kick 30 yards out and in a central position as the half moved into stoppage time but it was well-defended by Town, with Smith calmly heading back to Rogers.
That proved to be the last opportunity of the first half, with the teams heading in level at the break.
SECOND HALF
No changes were made before the restart and an early cross from Flint was headed clear by Collins.
Straughan-Brown fired wide after a cross from the home right had been held up by Imariagbe, before a low Giles cross was cleared at the other end. Doncaster broke through Imariagbe but his left-wing cross was held by Rogers.
Jaxon Blankley headed clear from another Imariagbe cross as the hosts continued to control the early stages of the second half, before another attack was stopped by Fortune Onoh, who calmly turned and cleared the ball.
Hodgett was denied by a good save from Rogers, before Town made the first substitution on 56 minutes as Kian Hawley replaced Charlie Hatton in midfield.
Carrick was booked for bringing Imariagbe down on the edge of the Grimsby penalty area and from the resulting free kick, Doncaster took the lead. Straughan-Brown’s delivery was headed on inside the box for THOMPSON to head past Rogers.
Bennett, Thompson and Green were replaced by Kenzie Dillon, Jamie Tomlinson and Jaiden Campbell-Ryce for the hosts after the goal, with Carlo Midwinter replacing Smith for Town at the same time.
Josh Henderson came on for Jalloh in Grimsby’s latest change on 64 minutes, before a short corner from the Doncaster left did not lead to a chance in front of goal.
Collins made way for Lennon Peterson in Town’s final substitution on 75 minutes, while Jacob Bryant replaced Oram in the home goal at the same time.
And soon afterwards, the Young Mariners were handed a way back into the game when Rennardson was brought down inside the box. The referee pointed to the penalty spot and GILES stepped up to level the scores from 12 yards.
A foul by Midwinter on Hodgett gave Doncaster a free kick midway inside the Town half on 81 minutes and Straughan-Brown sent it towards the far post but the ball was well-claimed by Rogers.
Giles sent a first-time strike wide from 20 yards after good play by Peterson as the away side looked for a winner, before a superb, acrobatic goal-line clearance from Rennardson kept the score at 2-2.
Midwinter was brought down by Bryant to give Town a free kick on the edge of the box with two minutes to go, although Giles’ shot was blocked by the home wall.
Both teams were still looking to win the game and Onoh had to concede a corner after a strong run from Campbell-Ryce but Straughan-Brown’s delivery from the left flashed across goal without anybody getting a touch. The ball was recycled into the box from the right but Campbell-Ryce’s header was just off-target.
Another corner was dealt with by the visitors and it proved to be the final opportunity for either side to force a winner, with the Young Mariners rewarded for their efforts in a hard-working display with a share of the spoils.
Town: Hayden Rogers, Charlie Carrick, Mamadu Jalloh (Josh Henderson, 64), Alfie Foy, Fortune Onoh, Jaxon Blankley, Elliott Smith (Carlo Midwinter, 60), Charlie Hatton (Kian Hawley, 56), Grayson Giles, Jack Collins (Lennon Peterson, 75), Tom Rennardson
Doncaster: Jake Oram (Jacob Bryant, 75), Will Flint, Aaron Cashmore, Jacob Brown, Kasper Williams, Justin Bennett (Kenzie Dillon, 60), Kenneth Imariagbe, Ethan Hodgett, Charlie Thompson (Jamie Tomlinson, 60), Sam Straughan-Brown, Will Green (Jaiden Campbell-Ryce, 60)
