Elebven goals, one red card and a penalty! But Lilywhites downed by Borough

It could hardly be described as a thriller, but the clash between Skegness Town and Grimsby Borough’s second string produced 11 goals, a penalty and a red card at the Vertigo Stadium on Saturday.

It was a game that could have gone either way, especially after the visitors had been reduced to ten men following the dismissal of Jason Flint.

But every time the seasiders got close to equalising in the second half, Borough pulled away to deny them.

The seasiders raced to a two-goal lead with a brace from Will Britton within 11th minutes.

However, by half time the visitors scored three times.

George Farr halved the deficit direct from a free kick and then Jack Bradbury fired the visitors level.

Stand-in keeper Corey Cunliffe, filling in for the unavailable Travis Portas, produced a couple of excellent saves to keep the scores level before Kirk Wheeler hooked the ball home from close range.

Starting the second half trailing by the odd goal in five, the seasiders reacted to their interval team talk by upping the tempo.

Borough were on the back foot for the opening exchanges, but keeper Jack Gibbons pulled off a string of fine saves.

Midway through the half Bradbury delivered a sucker punch to widen the gap, cutting in from the left to fire past Cunliffe.

Skegness responded when Ben Davison headed home their third goal in the 67th minute.

But in the 71st minute Farr restored the two-goal advantage from the penalty spot after Danny Stevens was adjudged to have handled.

Five minutes later a McCauley Parker tap-in made the score 5-4 to enhance the seasiders’ chances of rescuing something from the match.

Their hope was increased when Flint received his marching orders from referee Bradley Milne as the match threatened to boil over.

The Lilywhites created a number of chances for an equaliser but a combination of good goalkeeping and poor finishing kept them at bay.

At the other end Bradbury took advantage of a mix-up in the home defence to lift the ball over the stranded Cunliffe.

There was still time for Davison to head home his second of the game, but it was too little too late for the seasiders.

TOWN: Cunliffe, Warren, Howitt, Stevens, Parish, Scutt, Rayner-Mistry, Davison, Britton, Hobbins, Parker, Nichols, Needham.

On Saturday Skegness Town travel to Market Rasen Town (KO 3pm).