Grimsby boss Dave Artell believes his side have a mental block away from home after Tuesday’s 2-0 Sky Bet League Two loss at high-flying Mansfield meant they remained winless away from Blundell Park this season.
The Mariners had the better chances in the first half but found themselves 2-0 down at the break and then saw the home side batter them through a one-sided second half without further score.
“I think there is a mental aspect – the record says that,” Artell said.
“There is no point in trying to sugarcoat it. You can’t go half a season without winning away from home. We have to work on their brains as much as anything.
“I thought we were the better team first half even though the scoreline suggests otherwise – we should have been 4-1 up.
“But the second half was a non-event from our point of view. We didn’t turn up.
“We didn’t compete enough and a Mansfield team that is up there on merit deserved to run out easy winners in the end.
“We should have had two stonewall penalties. And we hit the post and the bar and had great chances – all in the first half. As it is, we go
in 2-0 down due to two crazy mistakes. Not once did Mansfield carve us open in that half.”
Grimsby had some big chances in the first half with Christy Pym denying Rekeil Pyke and Arthur Gnahoua with his legs while Kieran Green rattled the crossbar.
Gnahoua had already hit the home post before the Stags took a fortunate lead on 19 minutes as a deflection on Davis Keillor-Dunn’s shot left keeper Harvey Cartwright helpless.
The Mariners twice went close in added time before they allowed George Maris to fire home a low 25-yard shot in the fifth added minute.
The second half was one-way traffic with Cartwright making a string of fine saves, Ollie Clarke hitting the bar and Lucas Akins having an effort ruled out for offside.
It was a third straight win for the promotion-chasing Stags, leaving boss Nigel Clough pleased overall despite a slow start.
He said: “We didn’t start particularly well – they started the brighter and had a couple of chances.
“We looked a bit sluggish in the first 10-15 minutes.
“But once we got into our stride, especially in the second half, I can’t work out how we’ve not scored more than those two goals.
“There was poor finishing, good saves, blocks and a bit of bad luck. We could have gone on and won three or four.
“If we’d have got that third goal at any time, I think we’d have gone on to score four or five. But I would be more concerned if we were not creating the chances. We’ve had 39 shots today.”
Al-Ahli 1-2 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic double keeps Saudi champions perfect
Aleksandar Mitrovic proved to be the difference once again for Al-Hilal as the reigning Saudi Pro League champions beat Al-Ahli 2-1 on Saturday.
Al-Ahil went in front with 12 minutes played when Gabri Veiga was sent through on goal by Franck Kessie, with the Spaniard rounding Yassine Bounou to open the scoring at King Abdullah Sports City.
The hosts went close to doubling their advantage soon after, with Riyad Mahrez and Ivan Toney going close, before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic saw his effort cleared off the line at the other end.
But parity was restored early in the second half through Al-Hilal's master marksman, as Mitrovic nodded home a trademark header from Renan Lodi's delivery.
Al-Ahil were then awarded a penalty when Rayan Hamed fouled Malcom inside the box, only for Mitrovic to see his effort saved by Abdulrahman Al Sanbi.
However, the Serbian was given the chance to redeem himself after the VAR deemed encroachment had taken place, and he made no mistake at the second time of asking to net his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.
Data Debrief: Mitrovic the main man
Mitrovic has been in fine form since his move to Saudi Arabia, with his latest double taking his tally to 54 goals in as many appearances for Al-Hilal.
This time out, he contributed 1.16 expected goals (xG) tally to the visitors' 2.24 total, while also recording the most touches in the opposition box (six).
Malcom also impressed for Al-Hilal, creating more chances (three) than anyone on the pitch, with his 14 passes into the final third a total only bettered by Ruben Neves (18) and Salem Al Dawsari (15) among his team-mates.
Al-Nassr 3-0 Al-Orubah: Mane double helps hosts close in on leaders
Sadio Mane scored a goal in either half, helping Al-Nassr cruise to a 3-0 win over Al-Orubah and close in on the top two in the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo had given the hosts the lead from the spot, setting them on their way to a dominant victory.
After a slow start, Jean Seri was penalised for a handball, and Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot. After a stuttering run-up, he coolly slotted his strike into the bottom-left corner.
Mane got his first on the stroke of half-time, latching onto Ronaldo's pull-back before firing his low shot into the far side of the net.
He could have had a hat-trick, having also hit the woodwork and squandered a first-time shot by slicing it wide, but he did get his second in the 71st minute, guiding Nawaf Bu Washi's cross past Gaetan Coucke.
Cristian Tello came closest to a consolation for the visitors, smashing a long-range effort off the crossbar.
Data Debrief: Mane's time to shine
Mane, so far this season, has been providing the spark as a playmaker after registering five assists in Al-Nassr's first five games in the Saudi Pro League.
Today, however, he regained his scoring touch, getting his first two goals of the campaign.
He had the most shots (five), and shots on target (three), as he accumulated 0.97 expected goals (xG), while his seven touches in the box was the most of any player on the field.
Napoli 3-1 Como: Lukaku and McTominay on target to extend hosts' Serie A lead
Romelu Lukaku continued his fine start to life at Napoli as the Belgian notched a goal and two assists in his side's 3-1 win over Como on Friday.
The hosts found themselves ahead with just 26 seconds on the clock when Scott McTominay was picked out by Lukaku, with the Scotland international firing home his first goal for Gli Azzurri off the post.
But Como would draw themselves level two minutes before the break when Gabriel Strefezza's strike from distance rifled into the bottom corner.
However, Antonio Conte's side needed just eight minutes after the interval to restore their advantage when Sergi Roberto brought down Mathias Olivera in the box, with Lukaku stepping up from 12 yards to net his fourth Serie A goal of the season.
Napoli continued to push for a third goal to secure the victory, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia going closest but saw his effort saved by Emil Audero.
But the points were sealed in the 86th minute when Lukaku turned provider once again, holding off his marker before slipping through substitute David Neres who slotted home with a fine finish to extend Napoli's lead at the top of the standings to four points.
Data Debrief: Lukaku continues Conte love story
Lukaku has been a player reborn under Conte's stewardship. The Belgian is the player who has been involved in the most goals in his first five appearances for Napoli in Serie A since the Italian top-flight returned to 20 teams (since 2004/05) with three goals and four assists.
He has also managed to better his assist tally for the whole of last season, managing just three in 32 appearances for Roma last term.
McTominay's goal after 26 seconds is the third-fastest scored by Napoli since the start of a Serie A match in the three points for a win era, after Hirving Lozano's goal against Hellas Verona in 2021 (nine seconds) and Ezequiel Lavezzi's goal against Genoa in 2008 (25 seconds).
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