Match report by David Elliott at Blundell Park

GRIMSBY Town were dumped out of the FA Cup by non-league Bath City after a hugely disappointing performance at Blundell Park.

A well below par Mariners side were comfortably outplayed by their Blue Square South opponents, who rarely looked in danger as they claimed a famous win.

Town never really got going in a scrappy first half and the visitors grew in confidence before taking the lead on the half-hour, through centre-back Chris Holland.

Grimsby were unable to respond and they left the field at half-time with the boos and jeers of the majority of the 2,103 crowd ringing in their ears.

Things went from bad to worse when the semi-professional side doubled their advantage within six minutes of the restart, with striker Darren Edwards on target.

A lively display from winger Jammal Shahin ensured he was one of very few in black and white to emerge with any credit from a poor team performance as Grimsby's cup dreams were ended for another season.

Town caretaker boss Neil Woods named his strongest available line-up for the visit of the non-leaguers.

Peter Sweeney and Oliver Lancashire both missed out through suspension, with fit-again Rob Atkinson coming in for Lancashire at the centre of defence and Michael Leary replacing Sweeney.

There was also a starting place for striker Barry Conlon after his late goal rescued a point against Accrington Stanley last time out, while 18-year-old midfielder Harry Deane was handed his first place on the first team substitutes' bench.

Nick Colgan started in goal, with Bradley Wood, Paul Linwood, Atkinson and Joe Widdowson making up the back four.

Peter Bore, Leary, Danny Boshell and Jammal Shahin were the midfielders, with Conlon partnered in attack by Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro.

The Grimsby substitutes were Leigh Overton, Jamie Clarke, Chris Jones, Mark Gray, Danny North, Josh Fuller and Deane.

Bath made their longest away trip in 13 years looking to cause a shock at the expense of the Mariners and bridge the two-division gap to secure their place in round two.

The Romans were able to name a clutch of former Football League players in their starting XI though, with former Bristol Rovers winger Lewis Hogg among those looking to cause problems for the Town backline.

Former Grimsby triallist Richard Evans was named on the bench, while defender Sido Jombati began his career with Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, where youth team-mates included Cristiano Ronaldo.

Substitute Florin Pelecaci also boasted experience at a higher level in his native Romania, where he made more than 40 appearances in the top division.

The first attack of the game came on two minutes, with Wood's right-wing cross for Town, which was cleared by Jombati before it could reach Conlon on the penalty spot.

Danger signs from the visitors were evident soon afterwards, when striker Kaid Mohamed beat Wood easily down the Bath left but he lost possession after cutting into the penalty area.

Colgan got his first touch of the ball on seven minutes when a weak volley by Jombati was hit straight towards him after the Portuguese was picked out on the edge of the box by Hogg.

The first real chance for the Mariners came when a diagonal ball from Shahin on the left found Conlon unmarked inside the area, but the Irishman sent his header over the bar.

Town were opting for a direct style of play in the early stages, with a succession of high balls looking for the head of Conlon.

That approach was causing few problems for the visitors, who were seeing plenty of the ball and were looking to launch their own attacks by keeping it on the floor and building up play.

Akpa Akpro won a corner on 20 minutes but Boshell's driven delivery was headed away by striker Darren Edwards, before a return ball by Boshell went behind for a goal kick.

Bath were able to put a spell of pressure together with the help of two free kicks near the Mariners penalty area around the 25-minute mark but on both occasions, the home defence were equal to the deliveries from Hogg.

The away side then had a chance to take the lead when Jombarti slipped the ball through for Edwards but Colgan was alert to the danger and he raced off his line to stop the threat.

The Blue Square South side were beginning to take the initiative and they had another opportunity to threaten from a corner on the left.From it, Hogg found Gethin Jones but he sent his header wide.

And the visitors had the goal they deserved just after the half-hour.A free kick to the right of the Town penalty area was whipped in by Hogg and defender HOLLAND rose to head past Colgan to put his side ahead, sparking wild celebrations on the Bath bench and amongst their travelling supporters.

Grimsby's response was to attack immediately in a move which ended with Shahin volleying from 20 yards.Keeper Ryan Robinson was relatively untroubled by the effort, diving to his right to gather the ball.

Bore won a corner on the right on 37 minutes and after Boshell's kick was half-cleared, Leary was fouled by Jombarti on the left side of the penalty area.From the free kick, a ball into the box by Shahin was headed off-target by Linwood.

Two minutes of added time were signalled at the end of the half, with the Mariners struggling to make an impression in the final third as their visitors continued to look comfortable with their lead.

Grimsby had been poor overall, with the visitors looking more like the side in the higher division and as the half-time whistle blew, the cup upset was very much on.

Boos rang out among the home fans as the half ended - a reminder, if one was needed, that the hosts would have to up their game considerably in the second half if they were to be included in the second round draw.

Danny North replaced Akpa Akpro before the restart after the Ivorian had looked to be carrying an injury for the majority of the first half.

The substitute nearly had an impact when a chance came his way five minutes in.Leary flicked a header on into the path of the striker but he volleyed over the bar from inside the box.

But when a chance came at the other end, the Romans of Bath doubled their lead.After some nice build-up play, the ball fell for EDWARDS on the edge of the box and he curled a first-time shot past Colgan to spark more scenes of joy behind the Osmond Stand goal.

Bore won a corner after he picked up a poor clearance from Bath keeper Robinson and ran down the right.Boshell's flag-kick resulted in Holland heading clear unchallenged.

Conlon started a Town attack when he intercepted a loose ball in midfield and played it through for Shahin to break free through the midfield.The youngster then tried to find North inside the box, only to see the ball cleared.

A poor pass by Boshell let Hogg run into space with the ball and Bath suddenly had a break of three on two.The former Bristol Rovers man eventually found Mohamed inside the box but he turned and shot straight at Colgan.

Worryingly for Mariners fans, Bath were still playing the better football and their confidence had only increased from going 2-0 up.Town, meanwhile, were still struggling to pose any problems for the visiting defence.

That could have changed when Bore linked up with Shahin inside the penalty area but again, the Romans stood firm.

Josh Fuller replaced Widdowson on 64 minutes, with Wood switching to the left-back position and Bore dropping back to cover at right-back.

Bath boss Adie Britton responded by sending on Mike Perrott in place of the pacy Mohamed in attack.

Linwood had to concede a corner and from Jim Rollo's delivery, Conlon had to deflect a header away for a second flag-kick.

Conlon narrowly failed to get his head on a great cross from Shahin and instead, the striker handled the ball and was yellow-carded for his actions.

Ironic cheers from the frustrated home fans followed a shot from distance by Leary that was parried by Robinson before the stopper gathered it at the second attempt.

Stuart Douglas replaced Edwards for Bath before Shahin was booked for a foul near the halfway line.

As the game moved into its last 10 minutes, the Mariners were beginning to get forward more often in their quest to haul themselves back into the contest.

North and Boshell linked up to release Shahin inside the box but he chose to pull the ball back across goal and no attacker was there to finish the chance off.

Chris Jones replaced Bore as Woods elected to throw another striker on and go three at the back in a final throw of the dice with seven minutes left to play.

North sent a low shot straight into the arms of Robinson as the Mariners continued to push forward but they were unable to break through and the visitors held firm to claim a big win and secure their place in the hat for the second round.

Town now head to Leeds United in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy but after this performance, their focus must surely now be on the battle to retain their Football League status.

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