Grimsby Town 1-1 Sunderland U21 (Sunderland win 7-6 on penalties)

safc.com’s Sam Lightle reviews the action from Blundell Park as Sunderland under-21s exited the Checkatrade Trophy.

THE WRAP

Sunderland under-21s gave it as good as they had against Grimsby Town as they ran out 7-6 winners on penalties in the Checkatrade Trophy.

After a goalless first period, the game sparked to life the final 15 minutes when JJ Hooper turned home a penalty after Harry Cardwell was fouled by Brendan Galloway.

But the Black Cats produced a swift response. Donald Love found the bottom corner from the edge of the box as the ball rolled down his leg and past a helpless Ben Killip.

And so it came down to penalties. Adam Bale scored the crucial penalty to edge the Black Cats into a 7-6 lead before second-half substitute Sean McAllister saw his penalty crash against the crossbar. Sunderland clinch the bonus point to round off their Checkatrade Trophy campaign on a high.

QUARTET START

Elliott Dickman took charge of the match this evening, replacing Robbie Stockdale in the dugout, and named four first-team faces, with Callum McManaman included in that. The winger started on the right while Jack Rodwell, Brendan Galloway and Donald Love also featured. Second-year scholar Jack Diamond started on the left for the Black Cats as he gained another taste of senior action.

COLD

The winter is here. On a bitterly cold night at Blundell Park, Sunderland and Grimsby met in a group H Checkatrade Trophy match that counted for little as both sides faced an early exit. But judging by the opening exchanges, it meant a lot to both sides as Luke Molyneux raced clear and warmed the gloves of Killip before Jamille Matt saw his header hacked off the line by Owen Gamble. Molyneux built on his early chance by pulling Grimsby’s backline all over the place. The adapted winger, who was playing in a central role, fed off the space down the flanks and linked up with the trickery of McManaman as he flashed an effort over the bar from 20 yards. Gamble too looked tidy in the middle of the park with some neat touches while 17-year-old Diamond offered bags of exuberance as his slender frame fended off challenges as he danced his way into Grimsby’s half.

WING WIZARDRY

Sunderland had a control and discipline to their game out of possession, and that played into their hands as Grimsby struggled to open the visitors up. Meanwhile, in possession McManaman showed his class as Gamble seized the ball back high up the field and immediately spread play out to the 26-year-old who was hugging the right touchline. McManaman peeled off the white line, breezed past his man and then curled an attempt a fraction wide of Killip’s far post. Moments later, the winger freed Molyneux with an early floated pass from deep inside his own half. Molyneux went toe-to-toe with Karleigh Osborne but on that occasion lost out as the half-finished goalless.

TIME TO SPARKLE

Glimpses. Flashes. That’s what we saw of Diamond in the opening period. But the winger saw more of the ball in the first minutes of the second 45, and produced a powerful run which had Grimsby’s backline on their toes. Diamond drove at the heart of Grimsby’s backline, and after coming off the left flank the winger let fly from range but his effort drifted a fraction wide of Killip’s goal. Russell Slade shuffled his pack in order to deal with the Black Cats’ strong start to the second 45, and it worked as they created a flurry of chances. Mitch Rose the orchestrator of most things good for Grimsby controlled the tempo, with Hooper warming the gloves of James Talbot before Diallang Jaiyesimi sliced an effort high over the bar from 20 yards.

BANG!

Sunderland worked their way back into the match, Molyneux and Gamble spurned goalscoring chances as they failed to hit the target. In truth there was little to tell between each side, and that will explain why Grimsby’s opener was swiftly cancelled out by Sunderland less than a minute later. The hosts took the lead through Hooper who calmly dispatched a penalty after Galloway had fouled Harry Cardwell. But it was Galloway who helped get the lads level, when his lung-bursting run from his own box saw him move Sunderland into Grimsby’s box. McManaman dug the ball out and Love’s effort trickled into the bottom corner with 79 minutes played.

PENALTIES TO SETTLE IT

And so it came down to penalties. Adam Bale scored the crucial penalty to edge the Black Cats into a 7-6 lead before second-half substitute Sean McAllister saw his penalty crash against the crossbar. Sunderland clinch the bonus point to round off their Checkatrade Trophy campaign on a high.

Grimsby Town: Killip, Mills, Osborne, Hooper, Kelly, Rose, Clifton (Powles, 87), Matt, Osborne (McAllister, 69), Jaiyesimi, Cardwell

Subs: McMillan, Davis, Dixon, Sawyer, McKeown

Sunderland: Talbot, Love, Galloway, Bale, Rodwell, Beadling, McManaman, Gamble (Hackett, 82), Robson, Diamond (Greenwood, 60), Molyneux.

Subs: Taylor, Woud, Storey, Hume, Wright