Grimsby Town Foundation Shadow Scholarship approached the semi-final of the EFL CEFA U19 National Cup with the ambition of going one step further this year after suffering a heartbreak to Swindon at the same stage last season.
This time around, they were handed a home tie and a busy Franklin played host to a classic cup game with the opponents, Derby County.
Just like the quarters, Grimsby started slowly, but this time they were punished for it. A series of early corners paid dividends, and Derby took the lead with a well-structured set piece tapped in at the far post.
The visitors continued to pile on the pressure, taking momentum from their early goal, and Flynn had to be alert, diving right to save a powerful shot from Carter 20 yards out. Grimsby came to life around the 25-minute mark with Kit-Bushell up top for the Mariners. He almost got on the end of Allerton's through pass, but the Derby centre-half made a well-timed tackle to clear the opportunity.
Just after the half-hour mark came the first bit of neat play for the hosts, after an extremely tense middle-of-the-park battle for larger periods. Allerton picked up the ball and sprayed it out to Baldwin on the wing, with the cross evading everyone but Ross, who kept it alive at the far post. He pulled the ball back to Kit-Bushel, who fired the ball into the net to level up the scores.
Ten minutes later, Grimsby won a free kick just outside the box. McSpadden took the kick and curled the dead ball towards the top corner, but the Derby keeper pulled off a miraculous save, keeping the score at 1-1 as they headed into halftime.
The second half began and played out in a similar pattern to the majority of the first, with a tough battle in midfield and limited chances at either end. However, there was a key incident in the 55th minute. After being shrugged off the ball by Allerton, the Derby midfielder retaliated and kicked out, earning him a red card, and Derby would be a man down for the rest of the game.
Grimsby immediately took advantage of the extra man, and a ball in behind from Mawer tempted the Derby keeper to come sweep up. However, Kit-Bushel raced to the ball and had the easiest tap-in to give Grimsby the lead.
Some might have thought this tie was over, but the Rams weren't going down without a fight. Seven minutes later, the ball was lost by Grimsby in the middle of the park; Carter was played in 1v1 with Flynn, and the winger made no mistake and slotted home to bring the score level again with about 20 to play.
The nerves took over in the closing stages with the visitors, despite being a man-light, probably having more of the ball without really threatening. Davey had a great chance, but his lob fell agonisingly just over the bar.
The tie looked like it was heading for penalties, but as the clock ticked into injury time, with Grimsby forcing a corner. Davey whipped it into the far post, Baines did wonderfully well to head it back across goal, and Mawer was there to nod home and spark chaotic celebrations.
There was little time for Derby to get back into the game, and as the full-time whistle went, all of last year's disappointment faded.
Grimsby Town Foundation will face Colchester United in the EFL CEFA U19 National Cup final at Stoke City's Bet365 stadium on the 13th May.
The Shadow Scholarship at Franklin combines outstanding education with a professional football development programme that includes a competitive fixture schedule. Boys and girls on the programme will represent Grimsby Town Foundation in the EFL CEFA U19 league whilst studying at Franklin College.
The boys will study a Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma in Sports (Coaching and Development) alongside their football development, whilst the girls will choose three options from a wide range of full-time courses at Franklin, along with playing for the Shadow Scholarship Team.
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