MATCH REPORT: Blackpool 1-3 Grimsby

Pool's only goal of the game came after Andy Taylor's cross was headed in by a Grimsby defender

The Mariners’ Sam Jones bagged a brace and Danny Collins scored the other to condemn Blackpool to their first back-to-back defeats of the season.

After Collins had given Grimsby the lead, Gary Bowyer’s men had got back on level terms just before half time through an unfortunate Andrew Boyce own goal.

But the visitors took advantage of some sloppy, hesitant defending to restore the lead a minute later when Jones stabbed home for the first of his two goals.

The hosts were frustrated for much of the second half by a stubborn Grimsby defence and it was the Mariners who broke away to add a third with Jones’ second.

In truth Pool were never at the races and must now rely on winning the vast majority of their five remaining games to have a chance of sneaking into the play-offs.

Grimsby, buoyed by their raucous away following, made the brighter start to the game and had the game’s first shot on goal through striker Calum Dyson who saw his curled effort fly high and wide.

After a fairly dull opening ten minutes, Blackpool had two good opportunities in the space of a minute to break the deadlock.

The first came via Bright Osayi-Samuel who came a whisker away from giving his side the lead with a left-footed effort after leaving his full back for dead, before Tom Aldred headed narrowly wide from the resulting corner.

Aldred had to be on his game at the other end to make a vital block to deny the marauding Zak Mills who had been allowed to run all the way into the box from right back.

But shortly afterwards the Mariners took the lead and from Blackpool’s point of view it came in a sloppy fashion. A deep cross was completely missed by Dean Lyness and centre back Danny Collins was there to nod into an empty net at the back post.

The Seasiders almost drew level on the half-hour mark when Brad Potts brought out a good save from James McKeown in the Grimsby goal after a well-worked passage of play in the build up.

Things just weren’t clicking for Pool in an attacking sense and it looked as though a moment of quality or a bit of fortune would be required to get them back level.

And the latter is exactly what happened when Gary Bowyer’s men got back on level terms when Andy Taylor’s cross was inadvertently headed into his own net by defender Andrew Boyce.

That goal failed to put the wind in Blackpool’s sails and Grimsby almost took the lead for a second time in the first minute of first half injury time but Dean Lyness was there to tip over Calum Dyson's looping volley.

But their second did come from the resulting corner as they took advantage of some hesitant Pool defending, with Sam Jones stabbing home from close range.

Jordan Flores had Pool’s first attempt of the second half as he tried his luck from the edge of the box but McKeown was equal to his effort and palmed it away from danger.

The Seasiders upped the pressure just before the half hour mark and came close to levelling for the second time when McKeown had to backtrack to punch Andy Taylor’s wayward cross away from the top corner.

Kyle Vassell got a yard on his marker to meet Jordan Flores’ left-wing cross but could only glance his header wide of the Grimsby goal.

The home side saw the more of the ball in the second period but did very little with it, with Grimsby more than happy to sit back and wait for opportunities on the break.

One of those opportunities came the way of Sam Jones, who shrugged Tom Aldred off the ball to race through on goal and slip past Lyness for his second of the match.

The Seasiders could have made a fist of it had Kyle Vassell’s effort not been clawed away from off the goalline, but the linesman ruled the ball didn’t cross the line.

Blackpool huffed and puffed in the final stages as they looked for an unlikely route back into the game but could only muster one attempt through Osayi-Samuel, who shot straight at McKeown when the ball fell kindly for him in the box.

Blackpool: Lyness, Mellor, Aldred, Robertson, Taylor (Matt), Payne, Flores (Black), Potts, Daniel, Osayi-Samuel, Vassell (Cullen)

Subs not used: Slocombe, Aimson, Danns, Delfouneso

Grimsby: McKeown, Andrew, Boyce, Collins, Mills, Gunning (Disley), Clements, Osborne, D.Jones (Vose), S.Jones, Dyson

Subs not used: McAlister, Pearson, Berrett, Bolarinwa, Yussuf

Referee: Darren Deadman

Attendance: 4,668 (1,508 Grimsby)