Grimsby 1 Walsall 6 - Report

Danny Rose fired Grimsby ahead in the 29th minute, before goals from Douglas James-Taylor and Isaac Hutchinson completed a quick turnaround before the break.

Jack Earing continued his week of dreams with Walsall's third five minutes after the interval to score for the second game on the spin.

Hutchinson bagged his brace from the spot after Earing was upended inside the box, and Priestley Farquharson scored his maiden goal for Walsall.

Danny Johnson applied the cherry on top of the cake as he ghosted in at the back post to bundle home Hutchinson's low cross.

Mat Sadler was forced into one change as Jamille Matt dropped out through injury, but the Walsall boss opted for Douglas James-Taylor instead of Danny Johnson following his promising second half performance against Wrexham.

But James-Taylor faced an uncomfortable situation when he appeared to have a dislocated figure clicked back into place during the opening exchanges.

There was also winces from the away end when Donervon Daniels was almost caught on the ball at halfway by Jamie Andrews until Priestley Farquharson retreated with an important interception.

Walsall struggled to get going during the opening 30 minutes, although Tom Knowles did drew a near post save from Grimsby goalkeeper Harvey Cartwright.

However, the Mariners looked more dangerous going forward with Jackson Smith emerging to foil Abobaker Eisa after he latched onto a threaded ball by Rose.

The hosts' pressure didn't end there. Daniels undercooked his back pass and Rose was quick to pounce and beat Smith to the loose ball. The angle was tight and Rose opted to square for Andrew, who was unable to keep his close-range finish down.

Grimsby made no mistake with their next chance when Rose opened the scoring on the half-hour mark. They worked the ball patiently down the right and Farquharson was unable to sweep Green's cross clear, as Rose profited to fire a clinical finish beyond Smith.

Things went from bad to worse for Walsall when Freddie Draper was forced off through injury and replaced by Danny Johnson. But Walsall didn't buckle after two setbacks in quick succession, and James-Taylor rose to the challenge to haul them level in the 38th minute.

Tobias Mularkey always looked destined to reach a ball down the left until a frightening burst of pace from James-Taylor saw the forward enter the box. He maintained his composure from a tight angle and applied a sweeping finish across Cartwright and into the far corner.

James-Taylor scored Walsall's very first goal of 2023 and repeated the trick again to score just his second league goal for the Saddlers.

Hutchinson celebrated an individual milestone of his own to complete a quick turnaround on the cusp of half-time. Tom Knowles delivered low from the right and Grimsby made a mess of the clearance, which fell to the feet of James-Taylor.

He then turned provider with a simple lay-off and Hutchinson whipped an unerring finish beyond the reach of Cartwright and into the bottom corner.

Walsall smelt blood and could've had a second with a lightning quick counter-attack. Hutchinson released Knowles with an exquisite pass, although the Walsall wing-back almost lost the ball following a poor touch.

He kept the attack alive and fed Brandon Comley into the box, although Grimsby made an important block to divert the ball behind.

The Saddlers picked up from where they left off in the second half and came close when Knowles fizzed a dangerous low effort wide of the far post.

Earing doubled Walsall's lead five minutes after the restart to consolidate a sensational week. Johnson did well on the edge of the box and unselfishly slotted the ball into the path of Earing, who applied a composed finish beyond the onrushing Cartwright.

Grimsby felt aggrieved that Ed Duckworth didn't point to the spot when Green went down under a challenge from James-Taylor. However, the referee showed no hesitation when Earing was tripped inside the box by Kamil Conteh.

Hutchinson showed ice-cold composure from the spot to send Cartwright the wrong way and extend his season tally to 11 with a brace.

Walsall weren't willing to settle for four and Farquharson got in on the act to open his goal scoring account for the Saddlers. Allen scored his first Walsall goal from the bench against Wrexham, and produced another defining contribution when his corner was bundled over the line by Farquharson.

Johnson was determined to get on the score sheet himself and came close when he flashed a low shot wide of the far post.

Grimsby did nearly grab a consolation 10 minutes from time when Clifton squared for Rose, but Smith stood strong to produce an impressive stop.

Johnson got his goal in the end as he escaped his marker inside the six-yard box to stab Hutchinson's low cross into the net in second half stoppage time.

Teams

Walsall (3-1-4-2): Smith; Okagbue, Farquharson, Daniels; Comley; Knowles, Hutchinson, Earing (Allen 60, Gordon; Draper (Johnson 33), James-Taylor.

Subs: Evans, Foulkes, Menayese, Maher.

Grimsby (4-5-1): Cartwright; Mullarkey, Waterfall, Maher, Glennon; Clifton, Green (Braithwaite 71, Andrews (Khan 79), Conteh (Hunt 55), Eisa; Rose.

Subs: Eastwood, Rodgers, Vernam, Gardner.

Referee: Ed Duckworth

Attendance: 6,355 (215)