Hayes & Yeading soon put Tuesday's performance behind them to grind out an excellent victory at relegated Grimsby Town's Blundell Park on a wet August afternoon in Cleethorpes.

Manager Garry Haylock made two changes from Tuesday's side as Charlie Wassmer came in for only his second start in place of the injured Tom Cadmore and Jamie Hand was available to make his debut with Elliott Buchanan dropping to the bench.

The home side started well without really troubling Lee Harrison in the United goal as the extra experience of Hand in front of the back four gave added protection. Dwayne Samuels saw a shot blocked wide by Adam Green before striker Alan Connell fired well over when well placed minutes later. A Wassmer clearing header was pulled down by Peter Bore but his skidding effort from 30 yards was wide of the far post.

The opening goal of the game came on 19 minutes, bringing a deathly hush around three sides of Blundell Park as it came from Hayes & Yeading. A Peter Holmes corner was headed out by Mariners Darran Kempson but only as far as Ben Wright, his touch to Jamie Hand saw the midfielder open his body and fire a shot from 25 yards that thumped in off the right hand post giving keeper Kenny Arthur no chance (pictured below).

Just before the half hour mark United's Harrison was called upon when Lee Ridley and the impressive Robert Eagle combined on the left before sending Michael Coulson through, the United stoppers blocking his effort from 12 yards with his legs.

Minutes later a defenders leg denied United a chance when Wright hit a shot on the turn that took enough of a deflection to see it go over the Mariners goal. At the other end shortly after an Eagle cross from the left was met by Bore whose looping header looked to have beaten Harrison until the stopper took a step back and tipped the effort over at full stretch.

The second period almost started perfectly for United when with just 23 seconds played a centre by Bradley Pritchard caught the Mariners defence at sixes and sevens and Wright touched the ball to Holmes who saw his shot from eight yards clip a defenders stretched out leg which took his effort over the top.

Seven minutes later the frame of the goal came to United's rescue when Eagle crossed, Wassmer and Grimsby's Steven Watt rose together and the ball was met by the home defender who saw his header bounce up onto the bar and back into play. Just before the hour mark the home side really should have levelled when substitute Charles Ademeno broke on the left before picking out Eagle in the centre, his side foot effort from 12 yards going wide of the far post.

A route one effort from United saw Wright pull down a Harrison kick to Pritchard who tried his luck from 35 yards on the greasy surface, the shot going narrowly wide as Arthur scrambled to his right. Within minutes Harrison was on hand again to preserve the lead, this time Eagle's free-kick was headed back across goal by Connell and the United keeper again at full stretch got his fingertips to the ball to help it over the bar.

Having nearly conceded at one end it was only a matter of minutes before the lead was doubled at the other. James Mulley picked the ball up on the right and advanced before playing it inside to Holmes, the United skipper sending a perfect throughball into Pritchard's run that he coolly slotted past the dive of Arthur and in off the far post (celebrated left).

Chances continued for the home side, Harrison saved from Tom Corner who had burst into the box on the right before finally being beaten on 76 minutes when Watt rose highest to head home an Eagle free-kick, only to be denied by a raised offside flag much to United's relief.

The 90th minute was now upon us, Eagle cracked a free-kick against the United crossbar and Hand was quick to throw himself in the way of the follow up effort. The first clean sheet of the season was denied for the second Saturday running in the 92nd minute when Connell hit a curling shot on the turn that beat Harrison into the top corner.


In fact the Mariners almost snatched a point two minutes later when Micky Cummins met a Bore centre but his header just cleared the United goal.

Report by Kevin Watts.

Photos by Ray Peploe.

United Man of the Match: Lee Harrison.