Match report: Grimsby 3 Port Vale 0
Glover’s future remains in doubt with shirt sponsors Harlequin Property deliberating whether to inject £500,000 into the club.
But his side’s lifeless display against one of League Two’s worst outfits can only have weakened his position.
The Valiants were undone by a Barry Conlon brace, while Nathan Jarman also found the net.
It was Vale’s fifth away defeat from their previous six clashes on the road.
Glover made two changes from the side that battled out a stalemate with Rotherham on Easter Monday as the Valiants manager set out a 4-1-4-1 formation...
Gareth Owen was restored to first-team duties at centre-half, making his first appearance since injuring ankle ligaments in the March 10 home defeat by Dagenham.
While the 26-year-old made his comeback, fellow defender Lee Collins was deployed just in front of the back four.
Meanwhile, Anthony Griffith was left out. Although it was not clear, prior to kick off whether the combative midfielder has been struck down by injury.
But Dave Howland recovered from illness to earn a recall in the centre of a four-man midfield in front of Collins, while Simon Richman dropped to the bench.
Kyle Perry, making his 33rd appearance for the club, was unleashed in the loan striker’s.role.
Striker Marc Richards (Achilles) and midfielder Scott Brown (calf) failed to overcome their respective injuries.
Experienced midfielder Dave Brammer was ruled out with a groin problem.
The Valiants made the worst possible start after John McCombe conceded a corner which led to the game’s first goal in the third minute.
Swung over by Peter Sweeney Vale stopper Chris Martin did excellently well to deny Conlon’s header from point-bank range.
Vale’s defence inexplicably failed to clear their lines and in stabbing the ball forward just a few yards forward, Conlon was on hand to lash home from eight yards.
The Mariners, backed by large and passionate home support, threatened again on six minutes.
This time, striker Adam Proudlock burst down the right flank before squaring the ball into the path of Conlon, whose poorly struck effort, from 20 yards, was easily gathered by Martin.
Vale enjoyed their first sight on goal in the eighth minute when Perry won a free-kick on the edge of the home side’s box.
Loan midfielder Paul Marshall stepped up but he lashed his 25-yard set-piece from 20 yards past the right-hand post.
On 12 minutes, Mariners midfielder Danny Boshell cleared the bar with a header from 10 yards.
Mike Newell’s men doubled their advantage on 21 minutes. Nick Hegarty delivered a cross from the right flank which
McCombe flicked on with a looping headed clearance. Jarman ran on to the dropping ball and fired a ferocious 16-yard angled volley into the bottom far left-hand corner.
Mercifully, Glover reverted to 4-4-2 after Grimsby hit their second goal. Dave Howland switched to right midfield, while Louis Dodds joined Perry in the forward ranks.
Glover’s men looked rattled and clueless in their attempts to break down a determined Grimsby outfit. Rob Taylor’s desperate shot-over-the-bar from 25 yards summed up their attacking prowess on 26 minutes.
His miss prompted chants of “We want Glover out” from Vale’s travelling contingent.
In the 36th minute Conlon’s padded header dropped on a plate for Hegarty to fire wide from 22 yards.
Three minutes later Dodds’s careful side-footer from the edge of the box barely troubled keeper Wayne Henderson in Grimsby’s goal.
In fairness, Vale put up more of a fight as the second-half wore on as the hosts took their foot off the pedal, protecting their two-goal cushion.
With four minutes of the half remaining Perry drove forward before releasing Marshall with a pinpoint forward pass. Marshall crashed his 25-yard rasper against the bar and over.
Moments later Howland’s 10-yard strike was defelected to safety by full-back Joe Widdowson.
Richman was thrown into the action at the expense of Rob Taylor at the start of the second period. Richman went to right midfield, Paul Edwards took Taylor’s place at left midfield while Collins slotted in at left-back.
But the changes made little difference to the flow of play as Grimsby hit a third goal in the 49th minute.
Jarman’s delivery from the right was spilled by Martin, handing Conlon the simple task of converting from a few yards out.
Full-back Robbie Stockdale couldn’t find the target with an angled 16-yard drive near the hour-mark.
Steve Thompson had already entered the fray as a 56th-minute substitute. Soon after his arrival the striker hit two long-range efforts over the bar.
Vale’s afternoon was epitomised in the 72nd minute when Thompson and fellow substitute Danny Glover had shots cleared off the line. Marshall followed up and his 20-yarder was deflected into the net by McCombe, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Moments later, Edwards’s diagonal drive was deflected for a corner which was wasted.
Thompson dragged a 20-yard shot wide on 77 minutes,
Despite enjoying an increasing amount of pressure the Valiants were being restricted to shots from long range.
Marshall blazed over with an 80th-minute effort and just missed the target with a free-kick eight minutes later as Vale’s chances bit the dust.
GRIMSBY TOWN 3
PORT VALE 0
Grimsby Town: Henderson, Stockdale, Bennett, Atkinson, Widdowson, Jarman, Boshell (Clarke, 88), Sweeney, Hegarty (Llewellyn, 87), Conlon, Proudlock (Forbes, 67).
Not used: Lund, Heywood.
Port Vale: Martin, Stockley, McCombe, Owen, Edwards, Collins, Dodds (Thompson, 56), Howland, Marshall, Taylor (Richman, 46), Perry (Glover, 69).
Not used: Lloyd-Weston, Lawrie.
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