By Match report: Grimsby Town Women claim County Cup victory over Grimsby Borough
Grimsby Town Women beat local rivals Grimsby Borough at Oasis Wintringham to secure their place in the second round of the Lincolnshire FA County Cup.
It was the second time the sides met in a matter of weeks after the Mariners won 5-1 away at Borough in the league last month.
The hosts took the opportunity to ring the changes in a break from their league campaign, with young Lily Jacklin making her first start for the club.
She quickly repaid the faith shown in her when she grabbed the game’s opening goal after 15 minutes, as she sent a looping effort over the Borough keeper into the net.
A second soon followed for Town, with Alisha Dejonge’s drive from the edge of the area proving too much for the visitors’ stopper.
There were no further goals in the game, which turned into a slightly scrappy affair as it went on. The Mariners enjoyed the majority of the possession and Borough looked to break through on the counter but were thwarted by a sturdy Town back line.
With 70 minutes on the clock, the away side were reduced to 10 players after receiving a yellow card for dissent that resulted in a sin bin being awarded.
Despite their numerical advantage, the Mariners were unable to extend their lead following a strong end to the game for the valiant Borough defence, backed up by some fine saves from the keeper to ensure it ended 2-0.
After making her first start for Town and grabbing the opening goal, Lily Jacklin said: “I really enjoyed making my first start and getting my first goal for Town. Obviously, there are still things to work on but I’m looking forward to keeping the momentum going into our next game, where I can hopefully carry on scoring and providing for my teammates.”
Mariners boss Hayley Cox said: “It was a competitive game between both teams looking to progress in the cup. I’m always pleased to finish a game with a clean sheet due to a brilliant, solid effort from the backline, including player of the match Harriet Dalton, who let nothing past her all game.
“I’m really pleased for Lily grabbing her first goal for the club and Alisha took her goal well with a good finish. We felt comfortable when we had possession and created many scoring opportunities so credit to the Borough defence that the game finished 2-0.
“We now have a week break before we return for our next fixture away at Gainsborough on 30th October.”
