Grimsby Town banished the memory of two consecutive defeats by starting the New Year with a comprehensive victory over Fulham at Blundell Park.
The Mariners earned an important three points with an outstanding display and three glorious goals. The home side might light of the absence of the injured Dave Gilbert and John Cockerill as Chris Hargreaves and Kevin Jobling dominated Fulham’s midfield after surviving a strong start from the visitors.
Alan Dicks’ men looked lively on the counter-attack in the early stages and should have taken the lead in the tenth minute but Gordon Davies struck the post when it seemed simpler to open the scoring after he had beaten Steve Sherwood’s to Gary Brazil’s bright ball. Sherwood then saved superbly three minutes later when Davies looked to have headed home Jeff Eckhardt’s cross – and Fulham were made to pay for those misses.
Grimsby fired their first warning when Neil Woods had a goal disallowed due to offside. Jim Stannard then did well to stop a fierce free-kick from Shaun Cunnington, but the ball rebounded to Woods, whose cross caught the Fulham defence flat-footed and Rees spun onto a flick on from Gary Birtles to open the scoring. It could have been two a couple of minutes before the interval but Hargreaves fired wide after lovely link-up play between him and Rees.
Alan Buckley had to switch things around when Rees pulled his hamstring, but Hargreaves gave the home side some breathing space within three minutes of the substitution. The midfielder took the ball off the toes of Woods, who was looking to cut in from the left angle of the box, and curled a superb strike into the far corner. Grimsby could have far more goals as they dominated the final twenty minutes but Gary Childs rounded off the scoring with a lovely drive off after leaving Martin Pike for dead.
GRIMSBY TOWN: Sherwood; Agnew, McDermott, Birtles, Lever, Cunnington, Childs, Hargreaves, Rees (Watson 65), Jobson, Woods. Subs (not used): Baraclough.
GOALS: Rees (35), Hargreaves (68), Childs (75).
FULHAM: Stannard; Eckhardt, North, G. Thomas, Pike, Marshall (Nebbeling 50), Scott, Ferney (Milton 47), Skinner, Brazil, Davies.
BOOKED: North, Ferney, Pike.
ATTENDANCE: 7,492.
