By Match report: Town come from behind to secure point against Mansfield
Grimsby Town found a second-half leveller to earn a point at home against Mansfield Town in League Two this afternoon.
George Lloyd’s header cancelled out Jordan Bowery’s first-half effort to ensure it ended 1-1 at Blundell Park.
Paul Hurst made four changes from the side that produced a late comeback victory over Doncaster Rovers on Easter Monday, with Michee Efete, Owen Gallacher, Otis Khan and George Lloyd coming into the starting lineup.
There was very little action in the opening few minutes after a late Efete challenge on Davis Keillor-Dunn just a minute into the game resulted in the winger requiring treatment and the Town defender receiving a deserved yellow card.
With neither side able to string a sequence of passes together and break through the lines, the first chance of the game didn’t come until 12 minutes in. A corner into the front post saw Elliott Hewitt rise highest and head the ball just over the bar.
Mansfield had another opportunity just a minute later through Lucas Akins, but after cutting inside off the right, the forward curled his left-footed effort a couple of yards wide of the far post.
The Mariners really struggled to get going in the opening 20 minutes, as they struggled to find any rhythm, with several passes going astray and the ball not sticking up front to allow them to get up the pitch.
There was little more to shout about for either side before the Stags took the lead on 39 minutes through Jordan Bowery. The striker expertly plucked the ball out of the air following a cross from the left and his low effort towards goal beat Max Crocombe despite the keeper getting a hand to it.
Town began the second half with a bit more intent and were rewarded for their efforts when the referee pointed to the spot after Christy Pym brought down Lloyd inside the area.
From the resulting penalty, the keeper – who received a yellow card for the offence – saved Khan’s effort to his right before Lloyd’s powerful header on the rebound hit the back of the net to bring his side level on 52 minutes.
That gave the home crowd and players a lift, as the striker almost put his side ahead just a minute later, but Pym did well to pluck his shot out of the air before it nestled into the top corner.
Khan, carrying the ball through the middle towards the penalty area, then had an opportunity to put his side ahead, as his curling shot just drifted wide of the post.
With the game opening up following a frantic few minutes of action, Mansfield were awarded a dangerous free-kick about 25 yards out from goal. Hiram Boateng lifted his left-footed effort over the wall, but it just had too much on it as it drifted over the bar.
The midfielder then had another chance to put his side back in front just past the hour-mark, as the ball bounced to him on the edge of the box and his low strike down to Crocombe’s left was well held by the keeper.
A neat passage of play by Town then saw Lloyd go through on goal, with Pym pulling off a superb save to keep out the striker’s fierce shot on the half-volley.
A dangerous surge forward by Boateng saw the midfielder brought down right on the edge of the box by Niall Maher before he was able to get a shot in on goal. From the resulting free-kick, his effort was blocked by the wall and it was cleared.
With opportunities opening up for the Stags on the counter, Akins had another chance to put his side ahead. He carried the ball from the halfway line towards the box and unleashed an effort down to Crocombe’s left that the keeper did well to push away from danger.
At the other end, the ball bounced around the visitors’ box and, after it eventually fell to Lloyd in front of goal, the forward couldn’t find the target as his shot went agonisingly wide of the post on 77 minutes.
Town were handed a decent opportunity to grab a winner with a few minutes left on the clock when Evan Khouri was brought down on the edge of the box. Anthony Glennon stepped up and curled his effort over the bar in the last of the game’s big chances.
An entertaining second half meant the points were shared at Blundell Park, with both teams having opportunities to find a winning goal.
