Bridlington Town stage late fightback to earn dramatic 2-1 victory at Grimsby Borough
Bridlington Town staged a late comeback at the Bradley Football Development Centre, scoring twice to snatch a fully deserved 2-1 victory over Grimsby Borough on Wednesday night.
The Seasiders started on the front foot, pressing high and creating an immediate opening in the eighth minute.
Kyle Fanning received a crisp pass high up the pitch and laid it off straight into the path of the incoming Ahmed Salam, whose gorgeous curling effort was brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar by the Grimsby keeper.
Salam continued to cause problems down the right flank, swinging in a quality cross in the 24th minute for Reece Wilson, whose glancing header flashed just wide of the target.
At the other end, Alex Baird kept the hosts at bay with a fine point-blank save in the 35th minute before tipping another dangerous effort around the post to send the teams in level at the break.
Bridlington kept pushing early in the second half.
On 59 minutes, Coist Walker sent in a tantalising cross that skidded across the box, just out of reach for Wilson.
Despite Brid's dominance, it was Grimsby who struck first in the 68th minute.
Joe Batty's darting run was cut out on the edge of the area, but Grimsby launched a swift counter-attack, working the ball quickly to beat Baird and make it 1-0.
Bridlington reacted immediately. In the 72nd minute, a dangerous cross forced a Grimsby defender into an awkward clearance that clipped his own post.
Ten minutes later, Salam lifted another superb ball into the box for Toby Marriott, whose header rebounded back off the crossbar.
Brid continued to pile on the pressure, with Ben Tweed denied a penalty despite massive appeals for handball after his powerful effort on the edge of the box was blocked by a crowd of defenders in the 18-yard box.
The breakthrough finally came in the 79th minute. Tom Allan found Billy Marshall 30 yards out, and the midfielder turned on the ball before unleashing one into the bottom-left corner to level the scores at 1-1.
With momentum fully behind them, Brid kept pushing for all three points. The decider came in the final and fifth minute of added time, the ball was flicked on into the path of Marriott.
The striker showed superb strength to hold off his defender before drilling a low strike straight into the bottom corner, triggering wild celebrations on the pitch and bench.
It was a test of character and patience for Bridlington Town, but their relentless pressure ensured they left with a thoroughly earned three points.