Bath pull plug on abysmal Mariners
If being in the bottom two of League Two and without a manager wasn't bad enough for the Mariners faithful, they had to witness a quite abysmal display by their side that got exactly what it deserved against a team of part-timers two divisions below them on the English footballing ladder.
All this after a late, late goal against Accrington Stanley eight days earlier boosted their mood slightly going into back-to-back cup matches with the pressure off.
Well, Saturday's inept display has made things a whole lot worse ahead of a daunting trip to Elland Road tomorrow night where even the most optimistic of Town followers must fear the worst.
The cup double-header was expected to get off to a promising start against a side from the Blue Square Conference South – even with all the recent troubles.
But the self-titled Romans found little opposition to their FA Cup conquest in Cleethorpes from a depleted black and white battalion.
Caretaker boss Neil Woods was without Adrian Forbes, who tweaked a groin in training two days earlier, and also Nick Hegarty who, he admitted ahead of the game, was still struggling with an ongoing ankle problem.
But Rob Atkinson was back to alleviate the problem of Olly Lancashire's suspension, while Michael Leary stepped in for another suspended star, Peter Sweeney.
Injuries and suspensions led to a bench with five youngsters formerly of Woods' Youth side in reserve – including new squad member Harry Deane, the 18-year-old Lincoln lad who has impressed in midfield for the Under-18 side this season.
A total of four changes were made from the start, with the last-gasp hero of the Accrington game, Barry Conlon, the most notable inclusion as Town looked to avoid yet another first-round exit.
Before the match kicked off, there was a one minute's silence ahead of Remembrance Sunday – even more poignant in a week of sorrow for the townsfolk of both Grimsby and Cleethorpes.
Then it was down to action but, after a scrappy start, it was the non-leaguers who settled quickest and almost fashioned a chance on five minutes when Kaid Mohamed outpaced Bradley Wood into the box from the left but couldn't find Lewis Hogg with his square pass.
Town's first opening came four minutes later and it was a glorious chance for Conlon to get a second goal in as many games and give Town the perfect start.
A wonderfully accurate cross from the recalled Jammal Shahin on the left found the big Irishman in acres of space 12 yards out but he couldn't stretch enough to get above the ball and only floated his header over the bar when it looked like he would give the Mariners an early lead.
As it happened, that was a rare bright spot in an awful first 20 minutes devoid of any sustained possession from the Mariners.
If this was meant to be them playing without the pressures of the league then they were hardly showing it – they found it tough going against a gritty Bath side up for their big day.
You sensed the longer it went on like this, the pattern would suit the visitors and they began to win free-kicks in wide areas, looking to profit from set-pieces.
But their best early chance came on 26 minutes and it was thanks to a through ball on the ground from Mark Badman whose pass left Town's backline statuesque and only the alert goalkeeping of Nick Colgan, racing to dive at the feet of Darren Edwards, thwarted a certain opener.
The Bath top scorer needed treatment after colliding with Colgan but was fit enough to return to the fray soon after.
City continued to put pressure on to test a Town back four settling into a reshuffled line-up again.
And they had a deserved lead from another free-kick out wide on 32 minutes.
Lewis Hogg sent in a whipped cross from just outside the box on the right and centre-back Chris Holland rose highest to power a header past a rooted and helpless Colgan to send the travelling fans wild.
They sensed a shock was well and truly on the cards but, on the displays of both sides in that first half-hour, it would hardly be much of a shock.
Town needed to up their game dramatically with the crowd starting to get restless but Holland was the hero for City at the other end when he first cut out Peter Bore's cross and then got an important header clear from the resulting Danny Boshell corner.
Town did get a chance to level on 38 minutes but, like Conlon earlier in the game, Paul Linwood could only send his free header from inside the box over the bar.
A forgetful first half for the long-suffering home fans was brought to an end to a chorus of boos and the supporters would say they were well within their rights after a lifeless display from their team.
Town brought on Danny North for the second half in place of an uninspiring Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro and, six minutes in, he had a chance go over from 10 yards.
But just 60 seconds later and Town's task was made a whole lot more difficult when Bath doubled their lead.
Some neat passing in the build-up saw the ball laid off to Darren Edwards on the edge of the box and he rifled an effort into the top right-hand corner via a deflection off Boshell, sliding in to block, and again Colgan was left as a helpless spectator as the ball sailed past him.
It sent the Bath bench into raptures and a 'giant-killing' was looking increasingly more likely.
Town tried to get back into it – a long Atkinson ball was brought down well by Bore in the box but he couldn't find a team-mate after his neat control.
But the visitors were riding the crest of a wave and had chances themselves to increase their advantage.
Kaid Mohamed had a shot on the turn that, fortunately for Town, was right down Colgan's throat and then Hogg also worked the keeper with a 25-yard free-kick after Mohamed had been hauled down by Linwood to earn the defender a yellow card.
Town huffed and puffed with Shahin the only real bright spark as he continued to work hard and send crosses in but all too often no-one attacked the delivery and chances to get back in the tie went begging.
Conlon even picked up a needless yellow card on 70 minutes when adjudged by Cleveland referee Peter Quinn – the man who red-carded him and Adam Proudlock at home to Aldershot – to have handled on the stretch at the back post.
Town's first shot on target – a long range effort from Leary that was briefly too hot to handle for Ryan Robinson – brought ironic cheers from the home faithful who had already chanted 'you're not fit to wear the shirt'.
The opposing supporters responded with a chorus of 'can we play you every week?' – them and the rest of the country's teams no doubt on this sort of Town form.
North, who worked hard again, had half a shout for a late penalty when a Shahin ball through was half-cut out and the striker went down under a challenge from keeper Robinson but, in truth, they were only half-hearted appeals.
And when Shahin again got a decent low ball across, Holland was there in the right place to clear.
As the game moved towards the result everyone at Town feared, the Mariners' higher fitness levels brought them more of the play.
North saw a low left-footer saved and then Conlon had two bites of the cherry on the rebound without success.
Then, another goalmouth scramble in stoppage time saw Linwood's effort blocked before substitute Chris Jones fired at the chest of Robinson on the run inside a busy box full of Bath bodies.
It was a late rally that this time came far too late and, for the fifth time in six campaigns, Town failed to get past the first hurdle in the famous old competition.
It's a result that may even hasten the appointment of the next permanent Mariners manager but any new boss will still have to work with the same group of players who need to show a marked improvement on Saturday's showing.
A league club's exit to non-league opposition will be labelled a shock around the footballing world but a more appropriate word to describe the shambolic display of a Town team at its lowest ebb would be shocking.
almost there: Danny North has a shot blocked.
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