Kabba magic helps Mariners sink Ipswich

GrimsIpswich Town 0

Ipswich were paired with Slovan Liberec of the Czech Republic in yesterday's UEFA Cup second round draw, but a brace from Steve Kabba and a penalty from Alan Pouton highlighted the dangers inherent in combining exotic European trips with attempting to climb from the wrong end of the First Division table.

Grimsby are engaged in the latter pursuit themselves and in Kabba they may have found the man to turn their stuttering season around.

The visitors were rocked as Grimsby scored from their first meaningful attack of the game in the eighth minute.

The Mariners broke quickly from their own half and Kabba was left free to latch onto a Darren Mansaram pass and place an assured right-footed strike beyond a helpless Andy Marshall.

Grimsby player-manager Paul Groves is locked in talks with Crystal Palace in an attempt to extend Kabba's loan spell beyond the end of November, and the 21-year-old showed why he is so highly rated with his third goal of the season.

Blundell Park has hardly been a happy hunting ground for Grimsby this season but remarkably, after only scoring once in 540 minutes of football at home, they scored their second of the night inside the opening 18 minutes.

Kabba was heavily involved again, going down under a clumsy challenge from Wayne Brown, and Pouton made no mistake with the spot kick.

Matt Holland tried his luck with a speculative long-range effort, but Grimsby effectively ended the match as a contest in the 61st minute.

George Santos, making his first start for the Mariners, found space down the left and Kabba showed great awareness to crisply convert his cross.

The home side could have made their win even more emphatic substitute Steve Livingstone seeing his close-range effort blocked by Brown and Marshall saving well from Kabba with his feet as Grimsby turned in their best attacking display of the season.

The only sour note was a 72nd-minute injury to Kabba that saw him replaced by Paul Robinson, but the former Newcastle striker was instantly involved, dragging a right-footed shot wide of the target.

Alun Armstrong fired over the crossbar as full-time approached, but Grimsby's defence stood firm to earn their first clean sheet since August.

GRIMSBY: Coyne, Ward (Coldicott 84), Ford, Raven, Barnard, Cooke, Pouton, Santos, Campbell, Kabba (Robinson 73), Mansaram (Livingstone 63).

IPSWICH: Marshall, Makin, McGreal, Brown, Clapham, George, Holland, Miller (Ambrose 45), Wright, Counago (Armstrong 72), Marcus Bent.

Division Two: Stockport 2 Peterborough 1