Our Youth Team were narrowly beaten by a strong Burton Albion side after a tough battle in difficult conditions at the Bradley Football Development Centre.

Despite a hardworking display by the Young Mariners, a single first-half goal, scored by striker Kiarhys Svarc, proved enough for the visitors to take all three points from Wednesday evening’s EFL Youth Alliance league encounter.

Town pushed forward after the break as heavy rain fell but despite their pressure, Neil Woods’ side were unable to find an equaliser.

Harvey Cribb came back into the Grimsby team following his loan spell at Bridlington Town, while Harry Shipstone also returned in the other change to the XI that started the FA Youth Cup victory over West Ham United. Alfie Foy and Charlie Hatton were the ones to miss out.

Town came into the game sitting 16th in the 25-team Youth Alliance North league table, with two wins, five draws and three defeats from their 10 games so far. Burton were five places higher in 11th, with four more points but having played 11 matches.

Grayson Giles had the first opening for the home side on three minutes when he ran onto a ball from Tom Rennardson but although he beat goalkeeper Lewis Cleland to it, the striker could not hit the target.

Svarc fired over the bar at the other end after a free kick broke for him on the edge of the penalty area, before a foul on Jack Collins gave Town a free kick of their own, in a dangerous position on the right. Henry Brown sent it to the far post but nobody in black and white could get on the end of his delivery.

Zach Scutt had Burton’s next opportunity on 13 minutes after he was picked out by Jack Willow, although he could not test Seb Auton in the Grimsby goal from 18 yards.

Collins was off-target at the other end soon afterwards, before Callum Storr made a good block as the visitors created another shooting chance.

Storr needed treatment after going down with an injury but the defender was passed fit to continue and as the game turned into a midfield battle, the next opening did not come until two minutes before the half-hour. Burton’s Dan Jones got down the left and made his way into the box but his low cross was claimed by Auton.

Jones found space on the left again three minutes later and this time, he made it count as he cut into the penalty area and pulled the ball back for Svarc, who beat Auton with a strike to the far corner of the net to open the scoring for the away side.

Finley Axcell stepped in with a well-timed challenge to stop a run from Svarc through the middle and the Burton striker was involved again on 36 minutes when he got to the by-line on the left and sent over a low cross which Auton dived to stop.

A Town corner from the left led to a blocked shot, before Axcell was penalised for a foul on Svarc on the away left. Willow’s free kick was headed clear.

After showing early signs of promise, the Young Mariners had found real chances harder to come by following the goal, as Burton controlled the game in the increasingly wet conditions.

Auton got a hand to a strike from Josh Taroni to turn it around his near post for a corner, which was headed clear.

Cleland caught a Rennardson cross at the other end, then Elliot Smith saw a shot deflected away for a corner after he was found by Shipstone. Giles got to the flag-kick first to flick the ball on but Smith could not turn it into the net from close range.

That proved to be the last action of the first half, with Town going into the dressing room a goal down at the interval.

SECOND HALF

Mamadu Jalloh and Fortune Onoh replaced Shipstone and Storr as the Young Mariners made a double-substitution before the restart.

Rennardson was brought down to end a strong run down the left six minutes in, although Brown’s resulting free kick had too much power and flew out at the far post or a goal kick.

A late challenge on Brown brought another free kick on 56 minutes, this time on the right, but when it broke for Collins, he could only hit the side-netting from a narrow angle.

Nevertheless, Town were coming back into the game and Giles almost got on the end of a great ball through the middle from Jalloh, only for Cleland to come off his line and reach it first.

Carlo Midwinter came on for Smith in Grimsby’s third change on the hour and a Burton corner soon afterwards was dealt with.

Midwinter created a chance on 66 minutes when he picked Brown out with a chip into the box but the midfielder’s header was stopped by Cleland.

A further away corner led to the ball being headed straight at Auton, before a flag-kick at the other end did not lead to an opportunity in front of goal.

Midwinter was off-target after cutting inside from the left as Town continued to look for an equaliser, then Jaxon Blankley replaced Rennardson in their latest substitution.

Auton got down to make a good save from a low strike with 13 minutes to go, before Giles flashed the ball across the six-yard line at the other end but nobody could get on the end of it.

Brown was inches away from levelling the scores two minutes later when he set off on a superb run from midfield and let fly from 25 yards, only for his low strike to bounce back off the post.

Town continued to push forward and they had a corner on the right on 81 minutes but the ball from it landed on the roof of the net.

Determination by Jalloh to get to the ball first earned him a free kick on the left soon aferwards but Cribb could not get enough power on his header from Brown’s delivery to test Cleland.

Giles was denied by a good block as Town kept the pressure on, before a shot by Taroni at the other end took a deflection for a corner. It was played short for Taroni and his chip to the far post was headed off-target.

The Young Mariners kept believing they could get something from the game as it moved into stoppage time.

But when a corner from the left was well dealt with by the Burton defence, it proved to be their final opportunity to force what would have been a hard-earned point as they were instead left to reflect on a defeat in their last game of 2024.

Town: Seb Auton, Callum Storr (Fortune Onoh, 46), Alex Graham, Harvey Cribb, Finley Axcell, Harry Shipstone (Mamadu Jalloh, 46), Jack Collins, Elliot Smith (Carlo Midwinter, 60), Grayson Giles, Henry Brown, Tom Rennardson (Jaxon Blankley, 67)

Sub not used: Charlie Carrick