The Saddlers have endured a tough Central League campaign, with Mat Sadler's men yet to pick up more than a solitary draw, however they have fared better in the Cup, winning their recent meeting with Huddersfield Town by three-goals-to-nil.
Tuesday afternoon saw the travelling Saddlers name a young starting XI and substitutes bench, as there remain very few options available outside Matt Taylor's first-team squad.
GRIMSBY TOWN TEAM
McKeown, Sears, Longe-King, Goundry, Revan, Khouri, Wright, McAtee, Bapaga, Scannell, Grant
Substitutes: Tomlinson, Essel, Scott, Braithwaite, Bramwell
Substitutes: Tomlinson, Essel, Scott, Braithwaite, Bramwell
WALSALL TEAM
Hedge; Baldwin, B.Taylor, Worley, Sarvari, Cristofaro, Onabirekhanlen, Maher, Edwards, Simcox, Shaw
Substitutes: Jackson; Sawyers, Derry, Cox, Juliff
Substitutes: Jackson; Sawyers, Derry, Cox, Juliff
The match was a tight run affair with both teams looking to take an early advantage, but it was the Saddlers who would ultimately net the first goal of the game, taking the lead with just fourteen minutes in the clock as hot prospect Ronan Maher hit home.
Grimsby, who had created a few chances before Walsall went into the lead, were back on level terms a few minutes later, elder statesman Joel Grant putting the ball beyond Zach Hedge in the Walsall goal.
The hosts went on to take the lead with ten minutes of the first-half remaining, as Jaz Goundry tapped the ball home at the back post after the young Saddlers had failed to deal with a well-worked corner ball.
The home side weren't done there either as they went on to extend their lead as young Welsh right-back Ryan Sears headed home from a Grant cross, painful stuff for the Saddlers as they struggled to keep themselves in the match.
HT
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GTFC
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3-1
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WFC
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Buoyed by their first-half treble, the Mariners went on to further extend their lead with just four minutes of the second-half on the clock as John McAtee found Grant at the back post, the veteran forward happy to tap the ball home.
The pain didn't end there, however, as midfielder Will Bapaga smashed the ball home following some neat play between himself and McAtee, with the young Saddlers simply having no answer for their more experienced counterparts.
Grimsby continued their search for goals and were soon rewarded as Harvey Tomlinson was felled in the box, with the midfield man getting back to his feet before slipping the ball under an unlucky Zach Hedge to extend the home side's lead.
Walsall had no answer for their hosts as experience told with the Mariners running out comfortable, and deserved, winners at Blundell Park.
FT
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GTFC
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6-1
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WFC
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Grant (17') Goundry (35') Sears (39') Grant (49') Bapaga (66') Tomlinson P (78')
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Maher (14') |
AT
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Blundell Park
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