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Match report: Tamworth 0 Grimsby Town 2

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THE Mariners promised to remain focused on league matters on Saturday – and Paul Hurst's men were as good as their word.

Town's boss stressed in the Telegraph that there would be no excuse for minds wandering ahead to tomorrow's FA Cup replay at Scunthorpe.

And his charges certainly couldn't be accused of that after a highly professional display at the Lamb Ground.

"I don't think you can point the finger at anyone and say they took their foot off the gas," Hurst remarked.

"It was a totally different game to the first Scunthorpe match, but you have to win all types of football matches.

"That's perhaps the most pleasing aspect for me – the way that we won against a team who ask a lot of questions of you and are quite direct with the long throws, free-kicks and corners.

"They are a big team and we had to stand up to that. There were obviously one or two little scares, but you're always going to get that when so many balls are coming into your box.

"The lads defended well and if we didn't win the first header we got the next one or a good block.

"I thought we started both halves very well and in the end it was a great three points for us."

Hurst opted to go with an unchanged starting XI after his side's fine performance in the initial derby encounter with the Iron seven days earlier.

Liam Hearn recovered from his bout of illness to take a place on the bench, while centre-half Chris Doig again sat out the action due to a calf injury.

The opening 20 minutes saw the teams trade chances, with Richard Peniket heading straight at Town keeper James McKeown and nodding a better opportunity wide from a corner.

In between, the Mariners served notice of their attacking threat when Joe Colbeck threaded a pass through for Lenell John-Lewis to latch onto.

The big forward took the ball past Lambs stopper Cameron Belford but, moving away from goal and unable to get a shot away, saw the move break down.

Town went closer in the 13th minute when Colbeck exchanged passes with Sam Hatton and slid a superb low ball across the goal, which the onrushing Craig Disley was inches from poking home.

Moments later, Hatton's excellent free-kick was parried away by Belford before John-Lewis saw his follow-up blocked by a home defender.

An entertaining first period continued with the hosts forcing a series of opportunities as the game passed the half hour mark.

First, Clayton McDonald did superbly to block a goal-bound effort in his box after slipping seconds earlier.

Then, Lee Hildreth, Ryan Croasdale and Peniket peppered McKeown's goal with shots from outside the penalty area.

Nick Chadwick thought he had broken the deadlock when he unleashed a piledriver in the box, but Disley threw himself in front of that effort to preserve the clean sheet.

The visitors were struggling to keep the ball and concentrating solely on delivering a counter-punch in the lead up to half-time.

That almost arrived when John-Lewis' flick sent Ross Hannah clear and the striker dragged his right-footer wide of the mark from 15 yards out.

Kerr had been impressive for the Mariners in the heart of midfield and planted a 25-yarder over the home crossbar.

But Tamworth had the final word of the half, as Peniket and Justin Richards hammered more long-distance strikes wide of the mark.

The first goal looked likely to be pivotal, and Town delivered it six minutes into the second half.

Kerr's clever, low corner found Hannah at the near post and his snap shot was touched home by Disley amid a flurry of players in the six-yard box.

Another quality Kerr set piece was inches too long for John-Lewis to meet before the Lambs turned up the heat in search of an equaliser.

McKeown gathered Andy Todd's header, Hildreth fired over the bar, substitute Mark Wright burst clear and shot wide, and Richards glanced a header off target.

As the game entered its final ten minutes, a Tamworth corner caused pandemonium in the visiting box before McKeown punched half-clear and then clutched Wright's powerful shot.

That brief spell of pressure was forgotten when Alex Rodman killed the game off.

The winger had only been on the field for seven minutes – having replaced Scott Neilson – when he ran past the home defence to collect Colbeck's through ball and force the ball past Belford.

"We looked likely to add that second goal but while it's 1-0 there's always a chance for them," added Hurst.

"But we defended well and the substitutions worked well for us. It was pleasing for Alex to come back to his former club where he had a very good time.

"It was always my thought to get him involved at some stage.

"He came on, looked a threat and got a goal even though, from where I was, it looked as though he scuffed his shot.

The important part was that it ended up in the net."

Replay our live and interactive coverage below:
 

Match report: Tamworth 0 Grimsby Town 2


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