Scarborough Athletic suffer pre-season defeat to Grimsby Town despite battling display

The hosts started brightly, Walshaw thumping an early header off the crossbar so hard that it actually moved the goal.

But the League Two side soon asserted their dominance and with just 13 minutes played Seb Ring drove home low to Taylor’s left.

Former Boro winger Max Wright went close numerous times to doubling The Mariners lead, most notably, with a long range curler that went narrowly wide before being denied by Tommy Taylor after Wright broke away from the Boro back line.

Michael Jolley’s side continued to create chances, Akheem Rose and Elliott Hewitt both stung the palms of Taylor with powerful close range efforts.

But Boro held on until the 43rd minute. A seemingly innocuous challenge in the box, Hewitt went sprawling and a penalty was given. Moses Ogbu stepped up and calmly rolled to Taylor’s left doubling Grimsby’s lead.

After the break Boro came out flying Coulson, a half time substitute, danced his way into a position to fire a shot across Battersby’s goal.

But the Grimsby goalkeeper got down low and stuck an important strong right hand out to deny Coulson.

Further chances came and went before Boro eventually got back into things just before the hour mark.

Former Grimsby man Coulson again in the thick of the action heading a corner onto the post before James Walshaw was on hand to finish from close range.

And that inspired the hosts to keep applying the pressure to the side who sit three leagues above them, some slick interplay a number of times seemed to have unlocked the Grimsby back line, all before Coulson seemed to have lifted an 80th minute equaliser over Battersby and into the back of the net, before being denied by an offside call.

Kian Spence, who has impressed so far in pre-season, sent a rasping drive off the bar from 25 yards and unfortunately for him and Scarborough it flew away from an on-rushing Coulson.

The pace of Wright, Rose and Ogbu on the break was always a danger, all going close, but it was Boro who continued to push for the equaliser.

But to no avail. 2-1 is how it stayed a fantastic second half effort by Boro against a side who finished 17th in league two last time out.