Slough Slaughtered

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 14/11/2023

GRIMSBY finally overcame Slough with a 7-2 win at Blundell Park in an FA Cup replay but it was far harder than the scoreline suggests. Town got off to a good start taking a 2-0 lead, but Slough levelled the game at 2-2 and were well on top at the start of the match poised 3-2 to Town.

The Mariners were living dangerously at times and needed a goalline clearance to maintain their slender advantage. Gnahoua though restored a 2 goal lead just after the hour mark and Slough suddenly looked 2 divisions below Grimsby for the first time over the two fixtures. Three further goals for the Mariners in the last 15 put the game beyond doubt, and Town can look forward to a trip to higher league opposition at Oxford and perhaps a repeat of last season's heroics against League One opposition.

Question marks once again will be raised over the defence who conceded 2 goals - and it could have been more. The goals at the other end overshadowed the ones conceded, but stronger opposition will not be as generous or tired as Slough were in the closing stages.

Town made three changes from the side that beat Morecambe at the weekend. Waterfall, Amos and Gnahoua were brought into the side replacing Rodgers, Glennon and Khan.

Slough started well but Grimsby got the perfect start when a strong attack saw Gnahoua's shot deflected into the path of Pyke, who turned and fired the Mariners into the lead. 10 minutes later Grimsby were 2-0 up, a Maher flick-on from a corner resulted in Rose blasting in from a narrow angle.

Grimsby appeared to be coasting but conceded a needless corner and the defence was statuesque as Dyce rose unchallenged to put Slough on the scoresheet. 15 minutes later the game was level. A brilliant run down the left and cross completely split the home defence and Ogbonna spun and fired Slough level.

Slough could have gone in front but for a Maher last-gasp clearance, but Grimsby scored next with another near post flick on, this time from Greem and Pyke powering the goal in to give Town a 3-2 lead.

Slough were on top at the start of the second half and it needed another goal-line clearance, this time from Rose, to keep their lead intact. Another breakaway attack by Grimsby saw Pyke and Gnahoua combine, with the latter smashing the ball past the Slough keeper to make it 4-2.

Town bought on 3 subs and one of them Hunt swapped passes with Gnahoua as Grimsby overran their tiring opponents with Hunt's shot overpowering the keeper. Further goals for Gnahoua and Andrews followed in the closing stages with a 7-2 final scoreline not telling the full story.

Grimsby can breathe a sigh of relief that they negotiated this banana skin and can look forward to casting themselves into the underdog role when they travel to high-flying Oxford at the start of December, by which time there will be a new manager at the helm.

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