Davis Keillor-Dunn and George Maris on target as Mansfield topple Grimsby

Posted Tuesday, December 26, 2023 by PA

First-half goals from Davis Keillor-Dunn and George Maris earned promotion hopefuls Mansfield a 2-0 home win over Grimsby.

Keillor-Dunn opened the scoring with a deflected shot that gave the unlucky Harvey Cartwright no chance in the 19th minute, with Maris slotting a superb low 25-yard finish inside the far post in the fifth minute of stoppage time before the interval.

The visitors will have felt hard done by to find themselves two goals down at the break, having had the better chances, but it was one-way traffic towards the away goal after the restart without further goals.

Stags goalkeeper Christy Pym had to save with his legs to deny Rekeil Pyke in the sixth minute and Arthur Gnahoua in the 31st after Kieran Green had rattled the crossbar.

Gnahoua also fired against the home post on eight minutes and Pym made another fine stop to keep out Harvey Rodgers a minute before the Maris goal.

Keillor-Dunn twice went close after the break, forcing Cartwright to save and sending another chance into the side-netting.

The busy Cartwright had to block a Maris shot on 57 minutes and then twice deny Keillor-Dunn in as many minutes before Ollie Clarke’s volley struck the bar from 20 yards 15 minutes from time.

Cartwright then kept out a Stephen McLaughlin header while Keillor-Dunn somehow planted a free header wide.

Lucas Akins thought he had netted a deserved third five minutes from the end but an offside flag was raised.