Pilgrims handle Mariners with Care

PLYMOUTH boss Derek Adams singled out Graham Carey for special praise after the midfielder tore Grimsby to shreds.

Carey took centre stage in the ninth minute as he danced his way into the Grimsby box before bending the ball into the top corner.

It set the tone for a first-half masterclass from the 28-year-old as he teased and tormented the Grimsby defence.

In the end, Plymouth had to settle for a single goal as they stretched their unbeaten run to five games and progressed into the second round of the FA Cup.

Pilgrims boss Derek Adams, who guided his side to a thirdround clash with Liverpool last season, is hoping for a favourable draw next time out.

He said: “We were by far the better outfit. We deserved to score a lot more goals than we did.

“Graham Carey could have had another couple of goals because he was coming in from that right-hand side.

“It’s always important that you go on unbeaten runs. It was a tricky fixture for us – Grimsby have gone an unbeaten run and moved up their league.

“Hopefully the draw will be kind to us because there are a lot of good teams in the hat.”

Carey continued to be at the heart of everything after his stunning solo strike, setting up Joel Grant for a shot which deflected off Nathan Clarke and flashed past the post.

The Irishman also forced James McKeown into a smart fingertip save before the Mariners keeper denied Jake Jervis.

Not for the first time, Carey swept past Grimsby left-back Paul Dixon and planted an effort a whisker past the post.

Plymouth were denied a penalty in the 55th minute when the irrepressible Carey went down under a challenge from Dixon before the visitors swept up the other end to engineer a glorious chance.

Sam Jones crossed from the left and Martyn Woolford, in acres of space inside the Plymouth box, completely missed the ball.

In the second half, Grimsby’s Siriki Dembele brought a diving save out of Remi Matthews but Plymouth held on to ensure their progress,

Mariners manager Russell Slade said: “Paul Dixon should have defended better for their goal. He could have nailed Carey outside of the box.

“We flagged it up before the game that he comes inside onto his left foot.

“You expect your players to deal those situations.”