Crawley Town lose back-to-back home games for the first time in 2020 as Max Wright’s winner sees Grimsby leave with the points
Max Watters’ thunderbolt gave Crawley an early lead which they were unable to build on.
Matt Green pulled Grimsby level with a cool finish before Max Wright stabbed in the winner early in the second-half.
Max Watters started alongside Tom Nichols as Sam Matthews returned the starting line-up following his injury.
Crawley led with the first chance of the game when Max Watters fed Sam Matthews down the right-side. Matthews delivered a low cross which was half-cleared out to Watters who rifled a sublime half-volley into the top corner. His seventh in nine league games, scored in the 5th minute.
Matt Green headed a delightful cross from Max Wright over, before he headed another cross from Wright down and into Glenn Morris.
Watters came close to a brilliant second when he pressured Duncan Idehen into a high clearance, which Watters brought down well, but his strike was down the throat of James McKeown.
Danny Rose played an inviting ball forwards, which just evaded Sean Scannel in an end-to-end first half.
Soon after the Mariners did find their equaliser when Rose’s free-kick was headed across goal to Green, who controlled before neatly slotting past Morris to level on the 35th minute.
Crawley threatened on the stroke of halftime when Tom Nichols cleverly let the ball run through to Jack Powell on the edge of the box, whose low curling effort was pushed away by McKeown.
Early in the second-half Grimsby went in front, when Owura Edwards darted down the left-side before delivering dangerous low cross, which was turned into the roof of the net by Wright to put the Mariners ahead in the 51st minute.
Josh Doherty sent in a dangerous cross which Nichols just couldn’t reach on the stretch.
Crawley had a huge chance to equalise when Powell’s through-ball crept underneath Idehen’s boot and sent Watters through on goal, but McKeown produced a big close-range save to keep Grimsby in front.
Morris tipped behind Wright’s long-range effort, before the ball broke nicely for Ashley Nadesan in the box, but he could only drag wide of the target.
Grimsby weren’t far from a spectacular third late on when, from midfield, Sean Scannell sent a speculative first-time effort inches over the bar, but the Mariners were able to see out the win to condemn Crawley to back-to-back home losses.
Crawley: Morris, Adebowale, Craig, McNerney, Doherty, Powell, Hessenthaler, Matthews, Hesketh (Frost 87’), Watters (Nadesan 62’), Nichols (Ashford 90’)
Grimsby: McKeown, Hendrie, Waterfall, Idehen (Clifton 74’), Preston, Rose, Hewitt, Wright, Scannel (Adlard 90’), Edwards (Gomis 84’), Green (Starbuck 90’)
