Match Report: Grimsby Town 5 Dartford 2

GRIMSBY Town put in a five-star performance to dispense with Dartford in convincing fashion at Blundell Park last night.

After Tony Burman's side had taken an unlikely lead, goals from Paddy McLaughlin, Shaun Pearson, Lenell John-Lewis, Scott Kerr and a late fifth for captain Craig Disley sealed an uplifting win for Paul Hurst's side.

The Town boss made one, enforced change to the team that started the draw at Chester on Saturday, with Scott Neilson coming in for the suspended Joe Colbeck.

Dartford, meanwhile, could only name four substitutes on their bench as they looked for a repeat of last season's victory at Blundell Park.

But it was their hosts who got off to the brighter start, with Ross Hannah's deep reverse cross almost finding John-Lewis at the far post.

At the other end however, Adam Birchall offered an early signal of his side's intent with a speculative 18-yard blast that sailed wide of James McKeown's right-hand post.

Neilson had looked lively in the opening exchanges, and it was his clever, first-time pass that almost set McLaughlin in on goal.

But when that push was cleared for a throw, Town worked a deep far-post cross from which John-Lewis nodded wide, following that wayward effort up with a low drive that Alan Julian claimed easily.

It was almost third time lucky for John-Lewis on 20 minutes, when the former Bury man fired inches wide of Julian's post with a well-struck effort.

Dartford had struggled to get a foothold in the game for most of the opening 25 minutes but, from nowhere, it was they who took the lead against the run of play.

A clever ball in behind Paul Bignot set Danny Harris racing through and, as the Town full-back tried to recover, the winger calmly slipped the ball past McKeown to give his side an unlikely lead, with their first shot on target.

Town nearly provided an almost instant riposte to going behind when McLaughlin's sharp, left-footed volley from the edge of the box brought the best out of Julian, who kept the ball out down low to his right.

But the hosts could have found themselves even further behind, had it not been McKeown's superb point-blank save from Ken Clark's volley.

But directly from that stop, the Mariners went back up the other end and got back on terms – in spectacular style.

The ball was worked up to Hannah, who turned and found McLaughlin, who unleashed an unstoppable 25-yard effort that arrowed into Julian's top corner – surely an early contender for goal of the season.

In truth, Town did not deserve to fall behind in the first place, and they were ahead ten minutes before the break.

When another Town foray was hastily cleared behind for a corner, Shaun Pearson was the man to meet McLaughlin's in-swinger, and the centre half nodded down and past Julian to cap a stunning eleven-minute comeback.

Hurst's rampant Mariners almost added another when John-Lewis twisted and turned in the Dartford box, but after working a yard of space, the striker badly skewed his effort high and wide.

But he was not to be denied, when yet another Town corner was cleared to the edge of the box, Neilson helped the ball back into the frontman, whose backwards header looped into the top corner with Julian rooted to his spot in the away goal.

Remarkably, Hannah almost made it four seconds later when he struck a drive that whistled past the top corner, before Town were applauded off as they made their in for the break after an engaging half of football.

The 15-minute break did nothing to quell Town's momentum and they could have gone further in front three minutes after the restart when a short corner fell to Kerr, whose side-footed effort beat everyone but Elliot Bradbrook, who cleared off the line.

Jones followed that up with a bursting run and strike from the edge of the box that Julian struggled to handle with the off-side John-Lewis looking to pounce.

Town had looked largely untroubled after coming out, but, when Dartford were gifted a free-kick on the edge of the box for what looked to be a fair challenge, the referee allowed Lee Noble to take it quickly and, with McKeown still lining up his wall, the substitute curled into the unguarded side to halve the deficit.

With that, Town appeared to lose some of the verve and intensity that had seen them dominate much of the first half.

Craig Disley replaced Jones, who looked to be in some discomfort, while Liam Hearn followed minutes later, as Hurst looked to freshen up his side.

And the latter almost had the desired impact when, after a spell of patient passing, the ball was worked to Hearn who showed a sharp turn past his marker before firing at Julian, who turned his effort around the post.

Kerr called Julian into action again with eight minutes to go as the Darts stopper sprung to keep out his dipping volley, but from the resulting corner, the former York man restored his side's two goal advantage.

From a short corner, the midfielder was allowed to advance into the box before firing a low drive that, this time, the away stopper could do absolutely nothing about.

And even after the fourth official had signalled three minutes of injury time, there was still time for Town to make it five.

Hearn looked to turn home Aswad Thomas' low cross but when that rebounded back of the post, Disley had the simplest of tasks to tap home from yards out and seal an impressive win for the Mariners.