GRIMSBY Town's unbeaten start to life in the Blue Square Bet Premier continued with a battling goalless draw with York City in front of more than 5,000 fans at Blundell Park.

The first home game for the Mariners in the top tier of non-league football was a tough test for Neil Woods' side against last season's losing play-off finalists, who will surely be looking to go one better this campaign.

Both sides had their chances to snatch all three points in a game that was mostly played out in midfield, with some of Grimsby's best opportunities falling to Michael Coulson in the second half.

York, like the Mariners, looked to attack at pace and they looked effective on the break, although home keeper Kenny Arthur was rarely forced into serious action between the sticks.

Although they could not force a breakthrough at the other end, there were plenty of positives to take from the game for the Mariners, who are still to concede a goal after two games of the season.

One change was made to the Town side that won at Crawley on Saturday, with Rob Eagle coming into the XI in place of Bradley Wood, who dropped to the bench.

That meant a reshuffle, with Peter Bore moving to right-back and Coulson occupying the right-wing berth, with Eagle slotting in on the left of midfield.

Arthur started in goal, with Bore, Darran Kempson, Steven Watt and Lee Ridley making up the defence.

The central midfield pairing was Michael Leary and Mark Hudson, with Coulson and Eagle on the wings.

Skipper Lee Peacock and Alan Connell were again chosen as the front two, with Scott Garner, Micky Cummins, Dwayne Samuels, Bradley Wood and Nathan Dixon all named as substitutes.

York arrived in Cleethorpes looking for their first points of the season after an opening day home reverse to Kidderminster Harriers.

Their danger-man would be prolific striker Richard Brodie, who remained with the club despite rumoured interest from Football League clubs towards the end of last season and in the summer.

Brodie started up front alongside Michael Rankine and Michael Gash, while there was no place in the starting line-up for former Mariner Peter Till, who had to be content with a place on the Minstermen's bench.

Grimsby kicked off attacking the Pontoon Stand and their first chance came from a free kick, 20 yards out on the left corner of the 18-yard box. Eagle touched it to Coulson, who fired over the bar.

A Connell volley was deflected out for the first Town corner on seven minutes and Eagle's ball in was put behind again. At the second time of asking, the ball went to Watt at the far post but he couldn't direct his header goalwards.

The Mariners were beginning to get into their stride and another chance came when a defence-splitting ball from Eagle found Leary in space on the right. He advanced to the edge of the area before lashing a shot across goal that flew narrowly wide of visiting keeper Michael Ingham's far post.

York's first real opportunity saw Brodie tee the ball up for Neil Barrett inside the box but his shot deflected off Kempson and went out for a corner to the visitors.

They had another chance when Watt fouled Rankine on the left of the area. The opportunity was wasted though, as Barrett's delivery beat everybody and sailed out for a goal-kick.

The game was being played at a very fast pace, with both sides looking to keep the ball down where possible, although neither goalkeeper was forced into any serious action in the opening 20 minutes.

The Mariners conceded a needless corner when Kempson's back-header had too much pace for Arthur to get to. From it, the ball was headed towards goal by Gash but Eagle was there to head it away off the line.

The best chance so far came Grimsby's way when a clever ball down the line from Connell found Coulson. He crossed to the six-yard box but the ball was just too far ahead of Peacock for the front man to make enough of a connection to turn it into the net.

Even so, the ball remained in a dangerous area and when it was sent back in from the left, Peacock's header lacked direction before the danger finally came to an end when a low shot from Leary was saved.

York were looking to attack at pace as well and they nearly profited when a long through-ball from the right found Brodie. His pace took him past Kempson but the volley from the striker was weak and Arthur was able to watch the ball drift harmlessly wide.

Brodie picked up the first booking of the night when he fouled Bore on the right, halfway inside the York half of the pitch.

Eagle sent the free kick in towards the penalty spot but it was headed away and the winger picked it up again and won a corner, which led to Watt heading straight at Ingham.

Two added minutes were signalled by the fourth official at the end of what had been a frenetic first half that saw chances for both sides to open the scoring but without success.

The last notable action of the half saw Watt become the first Town player to be shown a yellow card by referee James Adcock, after the former Chelsea man was guilty of a tackle from behind inside his own half.

As the half-time whistle blew, York manager Martin Foyle would perhaps have been the happier of the two bosses.

His side had looked dangerous on the break throughout, with Brodie's strength and pace making him a real threat to Watt and Kempson at the heart of the Mariners defence.

Town had created opportunities of their own over the course of the 45 minutes but the hosts had been guilty of playing too many long balls as the half wore on, which were mostly cut out by the York defence.

No changes were made by either manager at half-time and the first chance of the second half went the way of the home side.

Eagle retained possession around the 18-yard box before crossing from the right for Connell. The former Bournemouth striker flicked the ball up before hitting an overhead attempt that was comfortable for Ingham in the York goal.

Coulson caused some panic in the York defence with a run down the right on 53 minutes that led to Ingham hastily clearing for a Town throw deep inside the visitors' half. The home side could not make their territorial advantage count though.

Another Town attack came when Peacock latched onto a poor defensive header but Eagle's eventual cross was claimed by Ingham.

York had their best chance of the second half when Rankine found himself in space on the right, before cutting in and playing the ball back across goal, only to see it cleared.

Town hit back with a flowing move that started with a driving run from Bore down the right and ended with Coulson forcing a good save out of Ingham, the keeper tipping the ex-Barnsley forward's 18-yard shot over the bar for a corner.

The Mariners went even closer on 62 minutes and again, it was Coulson who almost broke the deadlock.

Peacock laid the ball off for Eagle and he found Coulson, who drilled a low effort inches wide of the far post.

York boss Foyle made the first change of the night with 25 minutes to go, sending on George Purcell in place of Rankine in attack.

The away side won a corner on the left soon afterwards but Chris Carruthers' deep delivery only resulted in Djoumin Sangare heading an effort towards the corner flag.

A spectacular shot from Bore was Grimsby's next attacking offering as the right-back smashed an effort from 35 yards that looked destined for the net but flew narrowly wide.

Then, Coulson forced Ingham into action again as the Mariners kept going forward in search of the elusive opening goal. This time, the goalkeeper beat the low shot from 12 yards away for a corner at his near post.

Gash almost put the visitors ahead with 10 minutes to go when his rising shot from 18 yards forced Arthur to spring up and produce a magnificent save, diverting the ball over his bar for a corner.

That proved to be the start of a mini spell of York pressure that briefly left the Mariners in serious danger of going behind in the contest.

Uncertainty in the Mariners defence led to two York corners and another big chance saw Brodie go round Arthur, only to see his shot headed away.

Alex Lawless, who had been impressive in the York midfield, was the next to go into the referee's notebook when he was shown the yellow card for a foul on Ridley, close to the corner flag at the Pontoon end.

Eagle did well to win a corner on the left for the Mariners with four minutes to go but the delivery from the ex-Norwich man was headed away.

A big Grimsby penalty appeal came when Connell beat David McGurk before going down under a challenge from the centre-back inside the area. Referee Adcock was having none of it though, waving away the appeals from the striker.

Coulson was booked for a foul near the halfway line as the game moved into three minutes of stoppage time, with both sides still looking for the goal that would give them all three points.

A long-range shot from Watt that flew comfortably wide proved to be the last action of the game, with both tteams having to settle for a hard-earned point.

Town are next in action when they host Hayes and Yeading United on Saturday.

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