Our Young Mariners bowed out of the FA Youth Cup with their heads held high after taking U18 Premier League Tottenham Hotspur to extra time in a fantastic fourth round tie at Blundell Park.

After a goalless first half, the visitors took the lead through Luca Williams-Barnett but Town hit back when substitute Carlo Midwinter equalised within seconds of coming off the bench, to the delight of a big home crowd.

Tynan Thompson put Spurs back ahead and Ellis Lehane looked to have won the game for them when he made it 3-1 seven minutes from time.

But Town had other ideas and in a show of spirit and determination, they played their way back into the contest. Grayson Giles reduced the deficit to one goal, before Fortune Onoh levelled the scores with the last kick of the game to force an additional 30 minutes.

Tottenham scored twice in extra time through Junai Byfield and Ronny Moncur to ensure they set up a last-16 trip to Watford but despite ultimately losing the game, the Grimsby youngsters came out of the tie with a huge amount of credit following a performance full of pride.

And it brought to an end a magnificent cup run for the Young Mariners, which featured victories over Mansfield Town, Salford City and West Ham United to get to this stage of the competition.

Manager Neil Woods’ starting XI showed one change from the team that began the third round clash with the Hammers in December, as Harry Shipstone replaced Elliott Smith.

They faced a Spurs side who currently sit fourth in the U18 Premier League South division, four points behind leaders Aston Villa.

Jack Collins won the game’s first corner for Town on three minutes, although the ball from the flag was headed clear.

A foul on Collins then brought a free kick on the right but goalkeeper Sam Archer caught Henry Brown’s delivery.

More positive play saw Brown earn another corner, which was headed clear, before Tottenham’s first opening saw Seb Auton get down to make a good save from Williams-Barnett’s 20-yard strike.

A better chance for the visitors came when Reiss Elliott-Parriss took advantage of a mistake in the Grimsby defence to work his way into the penalty area, although his low shot hit the post and Williams-Barrett’s follow-up bounced off the bar to safety.

Auton dived to block a volley from Elliott-Parriss as the away pressure built, then a corner on 25 minutes eventually led to Auton stopping a low strike from distance.

The Town keeper went on to make a superb save four minutes later, diving full-length to tip a Williams-Barnett volley from 12 yards around his post for a corner.

Spurs were controlling possession and creating chances but Town had been well-disciplined in defence and deserved to still be level with half-time looming.

Archer raced out of his box to get to a long ball ahead of Giles as the Young Mariners aimed to create some danger of their own, before Brown set off on a run down the right and cut into the box but could not pick out a team-mate.

One added minute was played at the end of the half and with no further chances coming for either side, it remained goalless at the break.

SECOND HALF

No changes were made before the restart and after an early spell of Tottenham pressure, Town looked to have created an opening for Brown, only for the offside flag to go up.

The deadlock was broken six minutes in and it was the visitors who took the lead. Elliott-Parriss found WILLIAMS-BARNETT inside the box and he beat Auton with a smart, near-post finish.

A right-wing cross from Collins was caught by Archer as the Young Mariners looked to respond, then a brilliant touch by Giles on the halfway line sent Brown clear though the middle. The away defence recovered well though, with Elijah Upson and Malachi Hardy getting back to deny the Town captain.

Mamadu Jalloh replaced Charlie Hatton on the hour in Grimsby’s first substitution, before Auton was called into action again to deny Elliott-Parriss after good play by winger Thompson.

Midwinter came on for Shipstone in Town’s second change and the substitute made an instant impact as he levelled the scores with his first involvement in the game. Giles got down the right and cut inside before pulling the ball back for Midwinter to send an emphatic finish past Archer.

The Spurs keeper was then booked after racing out of his penalty area and bringing Collins down, as the Young Mariners continued to grow in confidence following their goal.

But the visitors got themselves back in front on 73 minutes, as Thompson cut inside from the left and let fly with a 20-yard strike which beat Auton.

Both sides made changes after the goal, with Onoh replacing Alfie Foy for Town as George Feeney and Lehane came on for Tye Hall and Elliott-Parriss in the blue of Spurs.

Miracle Adewole sent a weak shot through to Auton as the away side looked for a third goal, then another double-substitution for the away side saw Moncur and Dexter Oliver join the action.

And they looked like they had put the game beyond the reach of the Young Mariners seven minutes from time, as Lehane took a touch on the edge of the box before drilling a low effort into the net to make it 3-1.

Ollie Salter came on for Williams-Barnett in Tottenham’s latest change on 87 minutes, although Town were still looking for a way back into the contest and Finley Axcell headed at keeper Archer from a Brown free kick.

And with two minutes to go, the Young Mariners were back in it as they made it 3-2. A free kick from the left was headed on and Callum Storr’s touch found GILES, who finished well from 10 yards.

A minimum of five added minutes gave Town renewed hope and they continued to battle, with Axcell booked for a foul on Lehane.

The hosts were pushing forward and they won a corner on the left, although it was headed away for a throw-in.

A dangerous cross from Jalloh was headed back to Archer as Town kept pushing forward.

And with the last kick of the game, they found their equaliser to take the tie to extra time. After a ball into the box was not dealt with, it was touched back at the far post and ONOH pounced to make it 3-3 from close range.

EXTRA TIME

After the dramatic ending to the 90 minutes, the Young Mariners had the momentum as extra time began.

Brown picked up an injury five minutes in and was replaced by Jaxon Blankley, then Upson fired harmlessly over the bar from Spurs’ first opportunity of the additional period.

Blankley himself was forced off through injury on 10 minutes and Charlie Carrick came on in his place.

Tottenham grabbed the advantage back three minutes later, when a quickly-taken corner was recycled on the right and the ball was sent into the box for Byfield to head past Auton and make it 4-3 to the Premier League side.

Giles was denied by Archer as Town aimed to hit back yet again with the clock ticking into two minutes of added time at the end of the first period.

And after a Jalloh free kick was dealt with, the teams turned around with the visitors still a goal ahead.

Collins volleyed wide after a free kick eventually broke to him at the far post as Town looked for a way back into the contest once again.

But their hopes were brought to an end with 12 minutes to go as Tottenham scored a fifth goal. This time, Moncur was the man on-target as he steered a neat finish past Auton from 15 yards.

And that proved to be the end of the goalscoring as Spurs secured their spot in the fifth round, despite an excellent performance from a Town side who gave their elite opponents a huge scare.

Town: Seb Auton, Callum Storr, Alex Graham, Alfie Foy (Fortune Onoh, 73), Finley Axcell, Charlie Hatton (Mamadu Jalloh, 60), Jack Collins, Harry Shipstone (Carlo Midwinter, 64), Grayson Giles, Henry Brown (Jaxon Blankley, 95 (Charlie Carrick, 100), Tom Rennardson

Subs not used: Hayden Rogers, Harvey Booth