By Match report: Town secure impressive away victory at Stockport
Grimsby Town kept up their excellent away form with a victory over 10-man Stockport County this afternoon.
Goals from Harry Clifton, Gavan Holohan and Alex Hunt secured a 3-1 win on the road for Town, with Paddy Madden grabbing a goal for the hosts, who had Callum Camps sent off midway through the second half.
Paul Hurst made just one change from last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Crawley Town, with Kieran Green replacing Jordan Maguire-Drew in the starting lineup to add an extra body into the midfield.
The Mariners came into the game looking to build on their superb away form, having only lost once on the road this season against Leyton Orient on the opening day.
They started the game in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Green slotting into central midfield and Clifton playing in an advanced role behind striker Ryan Taylor.
Town got off to the better start in the early exchanges, but the opening 10 minutes passed by without either side threatening, as both teams looked to play the ball longer due to the heavy rainfall.
Kyle Wootton had the first opportunity of the game but the County striker’s low effort from the right-hand side of the box was comfortably kept out by Max Crocombe.
Town’s first effort at goal came on 13 minutes through Brendan Kiernan, who latched onto Michee Efete’s neat ball over the top and flashed a half-volley well wide of the goal. He should have done better.
The game’s first big chance fell for the hosts on 18 minutes. A quick counter-attack saw Antoni Sarcevic go one-on-one with Crocombe, but the keeper stood tall and did well to parry away the midfielder’s effort to keep the scoreline level.
A few minutes later, Kiernan went desperately close to opening the scoring but his sweetly hit strike from 20 yards out just sailed over Vit Jaros’s bar.
Town were not to be denied just a minute later, though. Clifton picked up a loose ball midway through the County half, played the ball left to Otis Khan, whose shot was parried away by the keeper but Clifton was on hand to tap in the rebound at the back post to make it 1-0 to the visitors on 24 minutes.
They continued to be a threat on the counter and doubled their lead with 29 minutes gone. The Stockport keeper was unable to keep hold of Khan’s ball into the box and Holohan, who was unmarked at the far post, did well to lash the ball home past two covering defenders on the line.
The Mariners’ dominance was evident on 36 minutes, when Dave Challinor brought off midfielder Ryan Croasdale for Ollie Crankshaw, as the home side looked to get back into the game.
The change soon had an impact, with Madden latching onto a loose ball inside the six-yard box to tap home and halve the deficit four minutes before the break.
That goal seemed to lift the home crowd, but neither side were able to create anything of note over the next few minutes and Town went in at half-time 2-1 ahead.
Clifton – once again causing problems for the Stockport backline – made a run in behind and hit a fierce drive at goal that was turned around the post for a corner three minutes into the second half.
Two minutes later, Crocombe made a stunning save to prevent the hosts from grabbing an equaliser. Crankshaw’s low, teasing ball across the box found Myles Hippolyte in space at the back post and his well-struck effort looked destined for the roof of the net but the Town keeper somehow kept it out.
It became quite a scrappy affair over the next 10 minutes, with the referee becoming too involved, halting play and handing out a couple of unnecessary yellow cards.
Crankshaw went agonisingly close to levelling things up on 65 minutes, as he picked up the ball on the right, cut inside Anthony Glennon and prodded an effort just past the post from 10 yards out.
Stockport quickly ramped up the pressure and pushed the Mariners back, with Sarvecic the latest player to threaten Crocombe’s goal, but his long-range strike was straight at the keeper.
Their momentum, however, was halted on 72 minutes when Camps lunged in with a high challenge on Green just inside the Town half and he received a straight red.
Clifton had the chance to seal the points shortly after, but he headed wide from point-blank range following a superb ball in from the right by Kiernan.
As injury-time approached, the hosts tried to get the ball forward and put the Mariners on the back foot but the away side soaked up the pressure well.
Luke Waterfall almost added a third with one minute of stoppage time played, but his looping header hit the top of the bar and went behind.
Substitute Hunt did manage to find the back of the net deep into additional time, though, as Town broke quickly on the counter and the midfielder hit a low drive beyond Jaros.
The victory means Hurst’s side are unbeaten in six away matches and leaves them just two points outside of the League Two playoff places.
