Notts County secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Grimsby in the EFL Trophy Group North on Tuesday evening. The result leaves both sides level on three points after three games, though Grimsby sit one place higher in the table. We had backed the home side at 38 per cent confidence, and by then it was clear the form difference was real. Grimsby had won their last two while Notts County were still searching for a second victory.
Callum Roberts opened the scoring in the thirty-second minute, a moment that shifted the tempo without changing the shape of the game. He picked up a yellow card two minutes later, and here's the thing — Grimsby had already shown their teeth when Rod McDonald went off for a booking in the tenth. Harvey Cartwright came off at half-time, and Douglas Tharme followed in the sixty-second, suggesting something was not working.
Jayden Sweeney doubled the lead in the seventy-ninth minute, and Notts County looked comfortable for a spell. They had touched the ball 628 times against 420 for the visitors, and six shots were on target compared to three. By then the game belonged to them, until Oliver Cooper pulled one back in the ninety-seventh minute. Grimsby had thrown everything at it, but the goalkeeper made a save that mattered.
The statistics tell a simple story. Notts County dominated possession at sixty per cent and created more attacks, 138 to 81. They also had more shots on target, six to three, though big chances created sat at zero for both sides. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging, and Grimsby were reduced to defending deep. They made 26 clearances against 15, and their keeper saved six times.
The result keeps Notts County in fourth place, level on points with Grimsby in third. Both sides have one win and two losses, but three games in and the table says little. What matters is the run — Grimsby ended a barren spell with two wins, while Notts County finally broke their losing streak. Cup football has its own rules, and tonight the home side found a way through.
