Mariners in big trouble after dismal defeat to bottom club
GRIMSBY Town were humbled by League Two’s bottom side Southend United as they slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Roots Hall.
Kyle Taylor opened the scoring for the hosts inside 30 seconds, before Ira Jackson Jr struck just before half-time on his first start for Town. But the Mariners couldn’t kick on after the break, and goals from Tom Clifford and Greg Halford – via a Sam Russell howler – saw their winless run continue as Luke Waterfall saw red late on.
Among Ian Holloway’s three changes to his side, there was a first start for Jackson Jr – rewarded for his goal-scoring cameo off the bench against Mansfield. Elsewhere, Luke Hendrie returned from suspension, while Owura Edwards was back in the starting line-up as Kyle Bennett, George Williams and Terry Taylor made way. After a whirlwind few days off the pitch, a positive start was called for from the Mariners – but they couldn’t have made a worse start to the game.
Elvis Bwomono’s cross from the right was blocked, with the ball falling to Taylor on the edge of the area, and he didn’t need a second invitation to fire through the crowd of players as Russell appeared to see it late, with the ball nestling into the bottom corner.
After that sucker punch, Town started to get themselves into the game, and were unlucky not to find themselves level just before the quarter-hour mark.
Edwards did well to beat his man before squaring the ball to Jackson Jr, who struck the post before the referee blew up for a free-kick as the Mariners tried to turn the ball home in the ensuing scramble.
Town were cursing their luck again later on in the half, with the woodwork once again denying them.
Having won a free-kick out on the right, Felipe Morais – on for his second appearance after Danny Rose limped off – sent the ball in towards Owen Windsor, who looped his header towards goal and watched on in anguish as it crashed back off the crossbar. Having been the better side after their early setback, it seemed as though the Mariners wouldn’t be rewarded for their efforts, but they eventually found themselves level deep into stoppage time at the end of the half. Jackson Jr started things off on the left before playing it over to the right, where Morais fired the ball in for Clifton, who saw his hot saved by Oxley – but once again, Jackson Jr was in the right spot at just the right time to tap home on the rebound for his second goal in just a few days.
That momentum built at the end of the first half though seemed to disappear after the break, and Town were left with it all to do again just before the hour mark.
With the hosts taking an age at a corner, Clifford was somehow left completely free on the edge of the penalty area and, after receiving the ball, stroked it through the crowd of players and past the static Russell to put
Southend back ahead.
Rather than come up with a response similar to that in the first half, Town were instead slow and sluggish, and in the end out of it as Russell’s howler rubbed salt into the wounds.
The ball went in from the left and found Halford – making his debut for the hosts after training with the Mariners the previous week – whose tame header somehow found its way through the veteran goalkeeper’s legs. Waterfall was given his marching orders in stoppage time for a second bookable offence, leaving Town to reflect on a damaging defeat at the foot of the table.