Grimsby Town 0 Torquay Utd 2
GRIMSBY Town lost for the second time in less than a week as in-form Torquay United claimed all three points at Blundell Park.Â
First-half goals from midfielders Courtney Richards and Luke Young did the damage for the away side, who stretched their unbeaten run to eight games.
Â
The Mariners struggled to test visiting keeper Martin Rice for long periods of the game, although he was called into action to stop attempts from Lenell John-Lewis in the first half and Aristote Nsiala after the break.
Â
Town also lost both of their strikers during the game, as Jon-Paul Pittman and John-Lewis were forced off the field through injury.
Â
One change was made to the Grimsby side that was beaten at Lincoln in midweek, with Patrick McLaughlin replacing Craig Clay, who dropped to the bench.
Â
James McKeown started in goal, while Shaun Pearson shook off a knock he picked up at Sincil Bank to take his place at the heart of a back four that also included Paul Bignot, Nsiala and Carl Magnay.
Â
Scott Neilson, Craig Disley, Scott Brown and McLaughlin made up the midfield, with John-Lewis and Pittman again selected as the strikers.
Â
Clay was joined on the Grimsby bench by Jack Mackreth, Ross Hannah, Chris Doig and Paul Walker.
Â
Torquay made the long journey from Devon looking to continue their impressive start to life in the Conference following last season’s relegation from League Two.
Â
The Gulls came into the game unbeaten since the opening day of the season, a run which had lifted them into the play-off positions after Tuesday’s away win at Chester.
Â
Torquay won the first corner when a cross from Jordan Chapell was blocked by Magnay and captain Young’s kick was flicked over the bar by striker Ryan Bowman at the near post.
Â
Bowman had another chance after Brown lost possession inside his own half and Courtney Richards took the ball on before the striker saw his shot comfortably saved by McKeown.
Â
Town were yet to make an impression but a foul on John-Lewis gave them a free kick in a promising position on five minutes. McLaughlin’s shot from it was caught by visiting keeper Martin Rice.
Â
John-Lewis went down looking for a penalty after he took the ball off the dawdling Angus Macdonald in the Torquay box but the referee instead awarded a corner, which was cleared. Town retained possession though and the ball was worked back for Pittman to head over the bar from a Brown cross.
Â
Grimsby were starting to get on top and another opportunity came when John-Lewis pulled the ball back for Bignot but his cross-shot missed the target and went out for a goal kick.
Â
A blow for the Mariners came on nine minutes, when Pittman looked to have pulled a hamstring as he stretched to try and keep the ball in on the left touchline. The striker immediately signalled that he was in trouble and he was replaced by Hannah.
Â
The first goal came on 14 minutes and it was the visitors who took the lead when Dale Tonge combined with striker Duane Ofori-Acheampong, who slid the ball through for RICHARDS to finish from a narrow angle at the far post.
Â
Pearson sent a header off-target at the other end as Grimsby looked to respond quickly, before Bowman headed wide from a cross by Ofori-Acheampong as Torquay attacked again.
Â
Nsiala was blocked as he looked to shoot after a Magnay free kick had been headed down by Pearson, then Hannah could not quite control a through-ball from McLaughlin as Town continued to look for openings.
Â
A Torquay corner was headed over the bar by Macdonald on 22 minutes, before a push on Brown by Chapell gave Town a free kick in a central position, from which John-Lewis forced Rice to push his shot away for a corner.
Â
Winger Toby Ajala won a corner for the away side on 28 minutes, which caused problems in the Town box and led to a shot being blocked from 12 yards.
Â
Another corner came on the visitors’ right when Magnay had to head a cross behind four minutes later but this time, Pearson cleared after Young’s ball to the far post was headed down by Macdonald.
Â
The away side were having the better of things, with Town struggling to put passages of possession together.
Â
But the hosts were given an opportunity to get the ball into the danger zone with a free kick from the right, although Bignot’s delivery was cleared.
Â
They were made to pay when Torquay doubled their advantage eight minutes before the break. Bowman worked an opening after Town lost possession in midfield and after he was half-blocked, the ball broke for YOUNG to slot past McKeown from an acute angle.
Â
It could have been 3-0 two minutes later, when Ofori-Acheampong’s flick gave Chapell a shooting chance but McKeown got fingertips to the low effort to tip it away for a corner.
Â
At the other end, a free kick was chipped into the box by Neilson but Pearson’s header was caught by Rice in the Torquay goal.
Â
The keeper had rarely been tested so far but he was called into action to push a 20-yard shot by John-Lewis away for a corner a minute before the break. That turned into a second flag-kick on the right , which was headed back for a third as the pressure started to build. This time, the visitors cleared.
Â
One added minute was played at the end of the half and with no further chances before the half-time whistle, Torquay took a commanding lead into the dressing rooms.
Â
The away side had deserved their lead and the Mariners would have a lot to do in the second half if they were to get anything out of the game.
Â
Ashley Yeoman replaced Bowman for the visitors before the restart and Ofori-Acheampong was shown the first yellow card of the game two minutes in for a foul on the Town left.
Â
Ajala had a chance for Torquay on 52 minutes after he picked the ball up in midfield and skipped past Disley before firing wide from 25 yards.
Â
At the other end, the Mariners won a corner on the left but Neilson’s ball was headed away from danger.
Â
The away side had created the better chances and they almost had another when Yeoman picked up a cross-field ball but when he passed to Ofori-Acheampong inside the Town penalty area, the offside flag went up.
Â
Yeoman picked up a cheap yellow card for stopping Nsiala from clearing a ball deep inside the Grimsby half.
Â
Town boss Paul Hurst made a double substitution two minutes before the hour, swapping Disley and McLaughlin for Clay and Mackreth.
Â
A foul on Clay gave the hosts a free kick inside the Torquay half but Nsiala could not beat Rice with his header from Neilson’s delivery, as the keeper dived to make a good save.
Â
That proved to be the start of a period of home pressure which saw Neilson and John-Lewis both crowded out as they aimed to shoot from inside the box, before Hannah fired over the bar after cutting in from the right.
Â
A free kick given for a handball led to Bignot’s header being deflected away for a corner but again, the Mariners were unable to do any significant damage from the flag.
Â
Josh Wakefield replaced Chapell for the visitors with 71 minutes on the clock.
Â
A good piece of play from the home side soon afterwards saw Neilson combine with Hannah, who beat the offside trap but saw his shot deflected away for a corner.
John-Lewis dragged a shot wide after a cross from Mackreth on the right with 15 minutes left.
Â
The Mariners were now seeing a lot more of the ball, as their visitors looked content to sit back and defend their advantage.
Â
But the hosts were dealt a blow when John-Lewis picked up an injury and was forced off, leaving them to play out the remaining 11 minutes with 10 men after using all of their substitutions.
Â
A rare Torquay attack led to a free kick for a foul by Nsiala but nothing came of it as Young was caught offside.
Â
At that point thought, the Gulls were looking comfortable, as Town were doing most of the attacking without really threatening to get the goal that would set up a grandstand finish.
Â
A run from Neilson on the left led to him shooting from 25 yards but Rice made a relatively simple stop, catching the ball.
Â
Brown then tried a shot from 20 yards but it dropped just wide of the mark.
Â
Krystian Pearce replaced the impressive Ofori-Acheampong for the away side with a minute to go and his time on the pitch was extended when the fourth official signalled four minutes of stoppage time.
Â
Town were still looking to haul themselves back into the game and a cross from Brown on the right was cleared, before Mackreth won a corner on the same side. Neilson’s delivery was cleared.
Â
That proved to be the last opportunity for the Mariners to halve the deficit, as Torquay saw the game out to preserve their clean sheet.
Â
Town are next in action when they visit FC Halifax Town on Tuesday.