Match Report | Grimsby Borough (A)

10 man Halesowen frustrated by 10 man Grimsby Borough to set up a replay at The Grove

Match Report

For a second match in a row, the Yeltz went behind in the first 45. Grimsby Borough scored from the first shot of the game, after a Rio Molyneux cross on the right was steered into the net at the back post by Reece York. Three minutes later, the game changed from one ball forward to Jason Cowley from a Jak Hickman pass to Charlie Wragg on the right. The Yeltz number 9 crossed to Kyle Finn, who was taken down close to the edge of the box by Alex Flett. The Borough captain was the last man meaning a red card was the only option for the referee. The resulting free kick was turned into the bottom left by Cowley. The Yeltz suffered their own setback of a red card in the 70th minute, when Jamie Willets brought down York for a second yellow offence.

The Yeltz suffered the early setback of an injury for Ryan Wollacott. The defender went down after four minutes with a head injury, and was swiftly substituted off for Jamie Willets, who took the captain’s armband from Josh Smile. In the minutes leading to the Grimsby opener, a Yeltz free kick on the right lead to a corner after Hickman’s delivery flicked off Paul Walker. The corner was taken short by Hickman to Finn, who gave it back to the defender to cross into the middle where Alex Gudger failed to keep the ball in play. Grimsby suffered their own injury setback when centre half Tom Sawyer pulled up after a chase against Wragg on the right.

Unsurprisingly we dominated the ball for the 27 minutes which remained of the first half after the equaliser. Four minutes after Cowley’s goal, Todd Parker snatched the ball on the left and played in the angled run of Wragg. The latter who had a scintillating opening 45, got away a strike and was inches away from nestling the ball into the bottom right. A rare Grimsby Borough chance came minutes later, when goal scorer York found the man who set his 13th minute strike up, Molyneux. The latter won a throw-in off Gudger, which was taken by fullback Brad Wood, and bobbled out to Molyneux to strike over the bar. 

In the five minutes which proceeded the half hour mark Smile found Finn on the left. The latter played the overlapping pass to Reece Mitchell, whose lovely floating cross was headed behind by Walker. The latter headed away the delivery which followed, before the second Hickman corner delivery was claimed to new Borough keeper Seb Auton. A Wragg run then found Cowley in the centre, and then Finn on the left, whose low strike went into Auton. The shotstopper signed from Grimsby Town on a one month loan during the week made a terrific save on 35 minutes. A superb cross from Smile on the left reached the high leap of Cowley in the middle, whose header forced Auton into a quick reflex stop.

The Yeltz pushed hard for a goal to send them in ahead at the break, but it never came despite some promising moves forward. A midfield link-up between Smile and Parker after a prolonged spell of Yeltz possession, saw the latter find Hickman on the right. The fullbacks cross was headed away by first half substitute Sam Topliss, before the latter set himself quickly to block a Finn shot. A minute before the lengthy five minutes of stoppage time, Cowley passed to Parker on his right who found Hickman. The latter won a corner off that man again Paul Walker, before Finn’s delivery returned the ball back to the Yeltz number two, whose promising cross to the back post found Wragg who strayed narrowly offside.

As the sky switched from cloudy to clear at the start of the second 45, the Yeltz had two superb opportunities to take the lead. A glide past one in red by Jim Kellermann, making his first Yeltz start, set up Hickman on the right. The incoming cross was flicked away by Walker for a corner, which was met by the in rushing Willets, who headed over. A Finn and Hickman combination set up Wragg to twist and turn his way out of a pocket of space against Walker to win a corner on the right. Two crosses then came into the box, one from the corner and the other from open play out wide. The first from Hickman was away by Wood and the second from Finn was headed away by Jack Richardson. The Yeltz re-worked the ball forward to craft an opportunity for a Willets header, which was unexpectedly blocked on route to goal by Wood. 

The hosts were forced into more defensive action after the hour mark, but the step 4 side continued to hold firm. After he held off the pressure of two, Cowley broke free and found the run of substitute Manning. The wingers shot was off Richardson for, yes, another corner, which this time was taken short and quick by Manning to Finn. The latter crossed into the centre, but could only find the head of Wood in the middle. Two minutes later, Manning and Wragg combined on a break away with Finn to the left. The latter was spotted, passed to, and dug out a cross into the middle to Cowley, who on the stretch looped a header into Auton’s gloves. 

Grimsby Borough were only able to craft the one notable opportunity of the second 45, having spent just under half of it with one man less. It may have been the one real flurry forward, but it could have proved pivotal had the crucial pass been made. Midfielder Josh Venney swept a ball out to Reece York who picked up his spot on the left and found the run ahead by Luis Adlard. The latter ventured towards the box, had Molyneux in space to his right, but the cross was short and cut out by Gudger. The hosts put the Yeltz under pressure at times in stoppage time, but the game rather died, and a replay always seemed the likely outcome, particularly after the second red card.

Attendance : 243

Teams

Grimsby Borough XI : Seb Auton (GK), Brad Wood, Alfie Taylor, Jack Richardson (Brody Robertson 70′), Paul Walker, Tom Sawyer (Sam Topliss 12′), Rio Molyneux, Alex Flett (🟥 17′), Luis Adlard (Dayle Southwell 76′), Josh Venney, Reece York (Tom Rennardson 76′)

Unused Subs : Dec Dennis (GK), Charlie Burden-Whittleton, Steve Morrall

Yeltz XI : Dan Platt (GK), Jak Hickman (Ben Cassidy 62′), Josh Smile (C), Ryan Wollacott (Jamie Willets 5′ 🟥 71′), Alex Gudger, Todd Parker (Milan Butterfield 70′), Charlie Wragg (Harry Burns 81′), Jason Cowley, Kyle Finn, Jim Kellermann (McKauley Manning 62′), Reece Mitchell

Unused Subs : Martin Riley, Gael Mfuamba (GK)

Russ Penn Post Match

• “The tie is not over yet, as obviously they have to come to us on Tuesday, but it was a frustrating afternoon as the only chance they had was the one they scored.”
• “We have lost two centre halves, we are disappointed to go back home without the win, but credit to Grimsby Borough because they defended very well.”
• “You have to have that little bit of creativity to win tough games against a side who sit back because of a sending off, and unfortunately we couldn’t find it with the lads in the XI and on the bench.”