Town show true grit but fall to Cherries

A TURBULENT week for Grimsby Town ended with another defeat at league leaders Bournemouth – a result that was hardly a shock going by form so far this season.

But the Mariners team, picked by caretaker boss Neil Woods for the first time, were far from disgraced at Dean Court and very nearly earned themselves a share of the spoils after a rousing second half before the Cherries put the icing on their cake with a spectacular late clincher.

It was a dogged and defiant performance after going two goals behind in the first half that went down well with the loyal travelling fans and would have given Woods encouragement after his first few days working with the squad that Mike Newell built.

He made his mark before the game, drafting in young Southampton centre-back Olly Lancashire on the morning of the match to fill the hole left by Ryan Bennett's surprise departure to Peterborough the previous day and he performed admirably considering the lack of preparation on the training ground.

Woods also brought Youth skipper Mark Gray into the squad for the first time as more cover for a backline still missing the injured trio of Robbie Stockdale, Rob Atkinson and Matt Heywood.

Joe Widdowson was fit to return however and Danny Boshell was back from suspension, making it three changes in all for Woods' first senior game in management.

Loan striker Josh Magennis dropped to the bench, while there was no place in the 18 at all for fellow loan man Arnaud Mendy or Danny North – the former hadn't exactly set Blundell Park alight on his debut a week earlier and paid the price despite the managerial change.

The talking was over for Woods and he could get down to what he loves most and that's coaching footballers and the early signs were promising for Town.

But, after a tentative start by both sides, under pressure for contrasting reasons, it was the Cherries who threatened first when Alan Connell – in for veteran Steve Fletcher in attack – tried his luck with a 20-yard daisy-cutter that new skipper Nick Colgan watched as it sailed wide four minutes in.

Town had a glorious chance to shock their hosts three minutes later, though, when centre-backs Ryan Garry and Jason Pearce made a right hash of things and, after they both left the ball for each other, Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro was in on goal with just the keeper to beat.

Unfortunately for the Mariners, he skewed his left footer wide after lofting it over advancing keeper Shwan Jalal when he should have at least hit the target.

Then, a borderline offside decision denied the Ivorian another free run on the Cherries goal as Town started to play with some belief and Akpa Akpro in particular grew in stature as the game went on.

Peter Sweeney needed treatment after Bournemouth skipper Danny Hollands caught him 10 yards into the home half but while he sauntered off to wait for the call to rejoin play, Town missed his set-piece skills and Bradley Wood's attempt to get the ball into the danger area was comfortably cut out.

The match was scrappy with neither side creating much in the way of clear-cut opportunities or able to keep hold of the ball for any lengthy spell in the opening 20 minutes and Town stood up to their task well.

The only visible difference between the teams early on was the clear confidence levels between the top of the division and the bottom end.

Then, on 27 minutes Town needed a great save by Colgan down to his right to keep the scoreline blank when the Cherries finally hit the target.

Great work by livewire winger Liam Feeney on the left ended with a perfect cross onto the head of Brett Pitman and he powered a header low before the Irishman's intervention.

The effort woke the home crowd from their slumber and in turn ignited the table-toppers and within 45 seconds, they had a lead.

A quick free-kick into the box by Pitman caught Town napping and was gathered well by Connell with his back to goal before he smartly rolled marker Paul Linwood before arrowing a right-footer into the top corner from near the penalty spot to give Colgan no chance this time.

It was hard on Town but they should have been more alert – it's those sorts of defensive lapses that have been their undoing all too often this season.

It could have been two five minutes later but for a superb saving block from Wood to thwart Feeney after a defence-splitting pass from Hollands set him racing free.

The Cherries weren't to be denied a second goal, however, but it came via a Town boot when there seemed very little danger.

Pitman broke down the right and sent a low cross in that Colgan had covered but Linwood got a foot in front of him after a lack of communication and the ball ended up in the back of his own goal after an unfortunate ricochet off his trailing right leg as he stretched to clear. Not the ideal way to mark your 26th birthday.

Town were now facing a big, if not impossible, task but almost halved the deficit immediately when Adrian Forbes' wild shot fell to Peter Bore arriving at the back post and he hammered a shot from a tight angle that Jalal did well to stop.

But moments like that were few and far between for a team without a manager and any trace of confidence when they go behind and the Cherries went for the jugular.

Connell fired over from distance while Hollands went marginally nearer with a low drive.

They started to play some really neat football through Town's midfield and oozed self-belief.

Just before the break, Mark Molesley sent a curling left-footer on target as the void between the two sides widened even further.

Town nearly got an unexpected way back in at the end of first-half stoppage time in just as generous fashion as the Cherries' second goal when home stopper Jalal fumbled a Boshell corner and it rolled goalwards before being hacked clear by Anton Robinson on the line.

Woods knew he had a chance to regroup as his first half-time team talk loomed and whatever he said, it seemed to do the trick in time.

Bournemouth did begin the second-half at the same high-tempo and Connell had a close-range header blocked after good work on the right by Pitman before Feeney repeated that on the left but his fizzed low cross evaded everyone.

Then, a well-worked corner from the training ground saw Pitman fire on target before it was blocked.

Credit to Woods' side, though, they kept going and after looking like any comeback was a hopeless cause, they were back in it five minutes into the second half as birthday boy Linwood gained redemption.

After Forbes had brought a fine save out of Jalal with a strong left-footer, two consecutive corners gave Town their lifeline and it came at the same end where Linwood had erred in the first half.

The second set-piece wasn't cleared at the second attempt by Molesley and Linwood jumped to float a header goalwards that got a slight deflection off Garry's head before bouncing past a slow Jalal and into the corner.

And Town enjoyed a lift from that goal as nerves crept into the home side at the back.

Going forward, though, they were constantly a potent threat and both Connell and Pitman sent efforts close – the latter from a spectacular over-head effort.

Town still fancied they could get something from the game and sent on Nick Hegarty – back from an ankle problem – for youngster Jammal Shahin.

And they almost got on level terms when Linwood's flick-on found Akpa Akpro in space 12 yards out and his chip over Jalal just lacked enough elevation to clear the big stopper and the keeper's fingertips denied the big frontman a deserved goal.

Within minutes, Town needed their own number one to save well from Pitman after a slide-rule pass found him in space in the box.

At the other end, Sweeney whistled a long-range effort over from a quick free-kick as the game moved into the final quarter now in the balance for the home team.

Magennis came on for the last 15 minutes to try and add some thrust up front while Fletcher entered the fray for the Cherries with presumably the same brief from the bench.

And the Town man sent a rasper just over the bar with four minutes to go as the home fans began to sit less comfortably in their seats.

The points were finally sealed with three minutes to go, though, when Pitman again tried the acrobatics from Fletcher's flick after a deep throw into the Town box and got his rewards with a stunning over-head strike past a helpless Colgan.

It was cruel on Town after their spirited show – even though they could have been dead and buried at the midway point on another day.

Woods was honest in his assessment after a week of change at Town ended with very little change out of the league leaders.

He knows once the dust has settled, Town's way out of this poor run of defeats should be navigated more easily against upcoming teams more inferior to the Cherries, who top the pile.