Town Fight Back in Style

By: Robert Salt
Date: 09/04/2007

GRIMSBY Town entertained Wycombe Wanders this afternoon at Blundell Park. Despite a poor first half from Town and two defensive errors causing them to concede two goals in the first half, the second half saw a different Town and two good goals from the Mariners earned them a point.

Wycombe Wanders were the visitors today, and when the news came that Tommy Mooney, a thorn in Town’s side for the last few seasons, wasn't playing a huge sigh of relief swept through the ground.

The Town starting side was the same eleven that started against MK Dons on Saturday, the only exception was Peter Till who was preferred on the right wing at the expense of Peter Bore who dropped to the bench.

Town opted to kick towards the Pontoon end, which resulted in Town kicking into the wind in the first half, the opening minutes were spent mostly in midfield with both teams struggling to put anything together and trying to test each other out.

Wycombe looked a nervous team and Town were looking sloppy and so often the final ball from Town was well short of quality.

Both Town and Wycombe were making long range efforts that never looked likely to test either 'keeper in a very dull first 45 mins.

However, a Fenton backpass was played short to Barnes and the Town 'keeper just managed to get to it and clear only straight into Justin Whittle. The ball rebounded kindly for McGleish to shoot into an almost empty net, a real defensive mistake from Town.

Town had still not being recovered from the goal when a few minutes later another defensive mistake, caused Fenton lost control and Easter was able to advance forward, go past Whittle, and place the ball into the bottom left hand corner.

This resulted in Buckley changing his 4-5-1 formation to a 4-4-2 formation with James Hunt coming off for Gary Jones, and Jones almost brought one goal back with his first touch, his header being cleared off the line.

As half time approached Toner cut inside from the left after a run but his shot into the top right flew just wide.

Town began the second half as they finished with no change in personnel, but now Town were passing and moving and putting the Wycombe keeper under pressure that had been missing in the first half. Their final ball was better and, had they had bit more luck in front of goal, they would have scored well before their first goal came.

Gary Jones was wide right and cut inside, the big man beat a defender before slotting home from a narrow angle to make it 2-1 to Wycombe.

By now the confidence of the Town players was high and the fans could sense they could grab another, and they almost did 3 minutes later, a superb long through ball from Newey found Danny North, the youngster beat the defender for pace and with only the 'keeper to beat scuffed his shot and the 'keeper saved.

However Town were not going to stop there and after a clear handball in the box from a Wycombe defender, Paul Bolland controlled the ball turned and shot into the top corner from just inside the box to make it 2-2.

From then onwards it was all Town but the third goal to win just would not come, Buckley took off 750 appearance man Macca for youngster Ryan Bennett and took off the impressive Danny Boshell for Peter Bore as Town switched to 3-4-3, however the final whistle went and it ended all square.

MOM: Tom Newey, was up and down the left hand side of the pitch from defender to attacker.

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