Grimsby Town Foundation’s U19 Shadow boys B’ side made a brilliant start to the EFL CEFA 24/25 campaign by emphatically dispatching a Barnsley side at Clee Fields on Wednesday afternoon.
A squad that contained 13 new first-year students ran out impressive 6-1 winners on the opening day of the new season.
It was almost the perfect start as George Hodgson raced on to a through ball the striker dragged his effort wide of the post. However, just a few minutes later, Hodgson was played in on goal again, and this time, he fired home after a great ball in from Moore from the wing. Hodgson, who was causing the Barnsley defence nightmares, could have had a hat trick within the first 25 minutes. On this occasion, Moore decided to take the shot on, and after his shot cannoned off the crossbar, Hodgson somehow put the rebound over the bar. The striker wasn’t about to let this affect his confidence as on the half-hour mark, and went through on goal again and was fouled in the box. He stepped up to smash the penalty into the top corner and give Grimsby a deserved 2-0 lead.
Two quickly became three in what was probably the move of the match. The ball started in left back position, and after several swift passes, Moore was found unmarked at the far post, placing his shot neatly into the corner to assert Grimsby’s early dominance. Just before the interval, Moore once again provided an excellent cross that was met by Tuplin to cap off a perfect half for the Grimsby Shadows.
The game became quite unsettled for a few minutes after the interval as the half-time substitutes for both sides settled into the game. Barnsley took advantage of the period, and a long ball over the top was well-finished by the striker. This shook Grimsby back into life, allowing them to get a good grip on possession again. Half-time subs Sowinmi and Smith combined, with Smith finishing off a nice move from the edge of the box. There was time for just one more goal before the whistle, with Man of the Match Swift tricking his way into the box, where he was fouled to gain Grimsby a second penalty. He stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to score a deserved goal and give Grimsby the ideal start to the season.
FT || Grimsby Town Foundation B’ 6-1 Barnsley
Scorers: Hodgson (2), Moore, Tuplin, Smith and Swift.
