It was a miserable night in more ways than one at Blundell Park as an 18th goal of the season from Charlie MacDonald, coupled with Bournemouth’s win over Aldershot, consigned the Mariners to the bottom two for the first time this season.
Grimsby Town 0 Brentford 1 (MacDonald)
DATE: Tuesday 3rd March 2009 | COMPETITION: Coca-Cola League Two | VENUE: Blundell Park | ATT: 3001
Gale force winds and driving rain made it the archetypal ‘cold Tuesday night at Grimsby’ and neither side could play to their true worth in the terrible conditions.
The hosts looked like making the most of the weather in the early going as Jean-Paul Kalala and the returning Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro both had sights of goal as the Bees struggled to clear their lines.
Once the league leaders got a foothold in the game they took the lead. It was a real poacher’s effort from MacDonald. Strike partner Jordan Rhodes crossed from the left and Adam Newton fired the ball back into the box where MacDonald was the first to react and slam the ball into the roof of the Osmond goal.
Town failed to respond in a disappointing first half, which was summed up when goalkeeper Wayne Henderson, making his home debut on loan from Preston, became the closest Mariner to score with a long kick that nearly caught out opposite number Ben Hamer.
The second half was just as dire from a spectators’ perspective, but when manager Mike Newell threw on his three subs, Stuart Elliott, Adam Proudlock and Peter Bore with 70 minutes to go, it sparked some life into the home side.
Bore’s pace caused the Bees problems on the right, whilst Proudlock offered a different dimension up front.
Meanwhile, out on the left, Elliott was delivering crosses that the strikers had been begging for all night. One such effort was inches away from being converted by Proudlock.
The Mariners did press for an equaliser, but it never materialised. As the final whistle went, everyone at Blundell Park knew that the club desperately needed a lift to get them out of the doldrums.
MATCH FACTS:
Town: Henderson, Clarke, Widdowson, Bennett, Atkinson, Jarman (Bore), Boshell, Kalala, Hegarty (Elliott), Akpa Akpro, Forbes (Proudlock). Subs not used: Newey, Montgomery
Mariners’ Man of the Match: Stuart Elliott. Brief cameo by the Northern Ireland International almost sparked a Mariners’ revival as he delivered quality from out wide.
WHAT THEY SAID: “Everyone is fully behind one another and we do believe that we are good enough.” (Joe Widdowson)
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