Grimsby Town 1 (F. Cartwright) Shrewsbury Town 2 (Lloyd, McMahon-Brown)

Grimsby Town have problems – make no mistake about it. They allowed a quite ordinary Shrewsbury Town side to dictate the play on a sunny October afternoon at Blundell Park. There are some names when you see them on the team-sheet and you know the Mariners are in for a rough ride. There are some names when you don’t see them on the team-sheet and you know that the Mariners are in for a rough ride.

There are players who weren’t good enough last season who are still not good enough this time around. There’s players that were good enough last season but their minds are still stuck on the field at the Pennisula Stadium in May. There’s new recruits who are not ready for the rigours of a genuine League Two promotion challenge. There are new recruits who look out of their depth altogether. There are those that have left the club who have not been sufficiently replaced.

It boils down to two main problems for David Artell’s side: they can’t keep the ball at at one end – if they concede one then be certain that a second will follow, and they’re not ruthless enough at the other end. The manager himself said that his charges had enough chances to win multiple games, it was the same story this week. Andy Cook, Kieran Green and Charles Vernam in particular had sights of goal before the visitors had even got out of the starting blocks.

But the biggest surprise had already come with Maldini Kacurri dropped from the starting XI; the Albanian defender has arguably been the Mariners’ stand-out performer this season, the side looked shakier without him in the ranks. In came Edon Pruti for his first league start since a summer switch from Sutton United, meaning Cameron McJannet switched to an unnatural right side of the central defensive pairing.

Perhaps it was that change or just hesitancy for an offside flag that never materialised but former Town loanee George Lloyd was handed the freedom of Cleethorpes to net from close-range. Town huffed and puffed for the remainder of the half. Vernam twice came close, Jamie Walker had a sighter from distance but the Shrews were already trying to disrupt the home side’s rhythm by slowing down the pace at every available opportunity, whilst the set-piece delivery of Thomas Sang was always a threat.

Any hopes of a rejuvenated Grimsby performance after the break were short-lived. Shrewsbury pressed and harried their way into the ascendency with Sam Stubbs and Isaac Fletcher both coming close before the impressive Kian McMahon-Brown fired home from the edge of the area with a rifled finish following a half-cleared corner. The two-goal deficit convinced Artell to switch things around and on came Finlay Cartwright for Vernam and former Shrew Iwan Morgan for Cian Doyle.

Artell’s changes and the scoreline seemed to spur Town into action. Green and Cook saw headers blocked before Pruti was denied after good play for Jayden Sweeney, before Walker saw another effort charged down from distance. The breakthrough for the hosts finally came with 15 minutes to go. Morgan was the supply line with a cross that was met by the head of fellow sub Cartwright, who got to the ball just before Shrewsbury defender Will Boyle – Lloyd being booked for his reaction to the goal.

The home fans were hopeful of a stirring finish and perhaps another 2-2 draw but they were indebted to Christy Pym as he kept out another effort from Boyle. Town then did turn the screw; Green nodded down for Cook, who saw another shot blocked – the big striker then nodding wide when well-placed. Opposing manager Gavin Cowan made a double switch as Will Gray and Josh Davidson entered the fray for Fletcher and Jay Turner-Cooke, and that helped the visitors regain control of the game, youngster McMahon-Brown using his pace and tenacity to keep the ball in the Mariners’ defensive third.

Artell’s final roll of the dice came in the last minute with the introduction of Ryley Reynolds and Sonny Finch for Walker and Cook. It was the latter who had the best chance to draw Grimsby level in injury-time but the resolute Boyle was on hand again to block the effort following Morgan’s long throw from the right-hand side.

The final whistle meant the Mariners had now lost their last three games. Artell’s side were offered a glorious opportunity to cement their early-season promotion credentials with a run of games against teams in the bottom six; they fell at the second hurdle, dusted themselves and then fell again at the third. We’re getting to the point where the table starts to take shape and the Mariners cannot be leaving themselves too much to do in a poor division…again because there comes a day when the standard will surely get better.

GTFC: Pym; Rodgers, McJannet, Pruti, Sweeney; Walker (Reynolds 89), Doyle (Morgan 61); Vernam (Cartwright 61), Green, Amaluzor; Cook (Finch 89). Subs not used: Cartwright, Kacurri, Foulkes.

Shrews: Brook; Hoole, Boyle, Stubbs, Ruffels; Berkoe, Turner-Cooke (Davidson 80), McMahon-Brown, Sang; Fletcher (Gray 80), Lloyd. Subs not used: Gregory, Isaac, England, Sousa, Gbode.