CHASETOWN booked their place in the next round of the FA Trophy with a thrilling victory over Grimsby Borough.
With the fixture tied at 2-2 at the ned of regular time, The Scholars secured a 3-2 win on penalties.
The match started brightly for Mark Swann’s men – and they wasted little time in taking the lead when a perfectly delivered corner found the towering Kieron Fenton who rose highest to head home and hand the visitors the early advantage.
Moments later, Fenton was again at the heart of the action as he met another cross into the box, but this time Grimsby scrambled the danger away just before Max Chimenes could pounce.
Despite Chasetown’s promising start, the hosts responded well and equalised when Adam Drury capitalised on some slack defending to slot home.
Jack Langston went agonisingly close to restoring the lead when his effort was deflected by Chimenes and narrowly missed the target.
The tide seemed to turn against The Scholars though when Grimsby took the lead in the 23rd minute. A dangerous free-kick from Josh Venney was met by Reece York whose close-range finish left goalkeeper Matt Sargeant with no chance.
The hosts pushed for a third before half-time, but Sargeant produced a brilliant save to deny them, keeping Chasetown in the contest.
In the second half, the visitors came out determined to get back into the game. Langston saw an early chance saved by Grimsby goalkeeper Liam Higton. Fenton continued to be a threat in the air too – and his header from a corner landed on the roof of the net.
The Scholars’ best chance came during a frantic goalmouth scramble, but despite three consecutive efforts, Grimsby’s defence cleared the ball off the line.
It seemed as though luck had abandoned Chasetown, but their persistence finally paid off in the dying moments when a superb cross found substitute Luke Yates, who calmly slotted home to make it 2-2 to send the game to penalties.
Grimsby’s hopes of snatching victory were dealt a final blow when Jack Barlow was shown a red card in the closing stages.
With momentum firmly on Chasetown’s side, they held their nerve in the penalty shootout to seal their place in the next round.