GTF 2-1 Fleetwood Town
Franklin's Grimsby Town Foundation has secured a place in the semi-finals of the EFL CEFA National U19 cup for the second consecutive year. They will now face Derby County on Wednesday, 26th March, in the semi-finals of the prestigious competition, which includes all EFL Trust Shadow sides in the country.
The Foundations Shadows were given a home tie for their final game against Fleetwood, having met in the last sixteen rounds in the previous season.
The visitors started strong, with a series of corners, and Flynn had to tip a shot over an effort at the far post within the first five minutes. Grimsby managed to withstand the early pressure and eventually had their first attempt on goal. Kit-Bushell set up Davey, but his effort was dragged wide. The game was played at a very high tempo, leaving neither side much time to settle on the ball.
On the 20-minute mark, Davey had a shot blocked on the edge of the box. The ball bounced kindly for Allerton, who caught it beautifully on the half volley rocketing into the top corner.
This settled Town's nerves, and they were able to mount some pressure and should have doubled their lead 10 minutes later when a set piece found Baldwin at the far post. Baldwin headed the ball back across the goal, but Mawer and Walker got in each other's way and missed the opportunity to score with an open goal.
Grimsby, who looked threatening from set pieces throughout the first half, earned another free kick five minutes before halftime, about 40 yards out. Evison floated the ball up to the far post, where Baines cushioned his header across the face of the goal. Mawer made no mistake with the finish, sending Grimsby 2-0 up at the break.
The second half started similarly to the first, with Fleetwood in the ascendency, however Grimsby defended resolutely. They looked like they had weathered the storm as Baines gained sight of the goal from a corner but fired it over.
The visitors weren't going down without a fight and at the hour mark, they were handed a lifeline via a penalty for a handball. The Fleetwood striker fired straight down the middle, reducing the lead to 2-1.
The game continued to be played at a high tempo for the next 20 minutes and was essentially a midfield battle, with Grimsby intent on defending their lead and hitting Fleetwood on the counterattack. As the match approached the 90-minute mark, there were very few good chances for either side.
At 85 minutes, an unfortunate injury to Evison meant the game was halted while he received medical attention. A Fleetwood player was shown a red card for the incident and played the remainder of the game a man down.
Grimsby were able to see out the final 8 minutes without any major scares, securing their place in the semi-final against Derby next week at Franklin College.
The much anticipated final is fittingly being played at Championship sides Stoke City's Bet365 stadium in May.
FT || GTF 2-1 Fleetwood Town
Scorers: Allerton 20' & Mawer 39'
MOTM: Dan Baldwin McGhee
