Grimsby Town 1-3 Blackpool: Seasiders progress in EFL Cup but suffer fresh blow. Blackpool progressed to the second round of the EFL Cup with a 3-1 victory over Grimsby Town in their first outing of the 2026/27 season.
What happened?
Niall Ennis' early opener gave the Seasiders the advantage in the tie, with Josh Bowler and Kylian Kouassi ensuring the win with second half goals either side of one from Harvey Rodgers. Bailey Peacock-Farrell was chiefly responsible for getting Ian Evatt's side through with a number of impressive saves, before being beaten in stoppage time.
Why it matters for Grimsby
The defeat for Grimsby Town will be a setback for the team, who will look to bounce back in their next fixture. Grimsby Town's next match is against Swindon Town at home on 2027-02-27.
What comes next?
Blackpool will look to build on their win, with their next match against a yet to be determined opponent in the second round of the EFL Cup. Grimsby Town will look to regroup and prepare for their next match, which will be a crucial one in their season.
Grimsby Town's Niall Ennis broke the deadlock after just three minutes. A CJ Hamilton ball into the box was met by a Grimsby player, but the block landed perfectly into the feet of the Blackpool forward - who sharply produced the finish from close-range. Two chances quickly came Jamie Walker's way in the search of an equaliser for the home side, with both being pushed away by Peacock-Farrell. The second in particular was an impressive save by the Northern Ireland international - getting a strong hand on a fierce half-volley.
Back down the other end, there were chances for the Seasiders to double their lead. A great run from Karoy Anderson saw the ball laid into the path of Hayden Coulson - who saw a curling effort pushed over the bar by the acrobatic Christy Pym. Meanwhile, Ilmari Niskanen did find the back of the net with a back post header across the face of goal, before having his celebrations cut short by the linesman flag for an offside against Ennis.
A big let off for Evatt's side came on the 20-minute mark. Kieran Green fizzed a dangerous ball into the box, with Charles Verman, who was seemingly in the right area to finish from close-range, unable to get any contact onto the cross. There was heartbreak for Niskanen just after the half hour mark. After going down in his own half, the Finland international was forced to end his competitive debut in Tangerine early due to what looked like a shoulder issue.
Just before the break, there were some heroics from Peacock-Farrell to make another impressive save from close-range to maintain the Blackpool lead. Following the restart, Bowler came close to doubling the visitors' advantage, hitting the crossbar after cutting in from the right. It continued to be Peacock-Farrell who kept Grimsby frustrated, with another impressive reaction save keeping out a power strike from Cameron McJannet.
The Seasiders' attacked back just moments after, but Ennis wasn't as sharp in the box as he was during the first half, dragging an attempt wide after cutting inside. From the resulting goal kick, Bowler was quick on the press to steal the ball, before slotting calmly past Pym. After being stopped by Peacock-Farrell once, McJannet found himself frustrated again, seeing a header saved a point blank range.
Rodgers' goal came in the 92nd minute, which proved too late for the home side to add another to take the game to penalties, with Blackpool instead re-extending their lead down the other end through substitute Kouassi moments after. Blackpool FC: Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Jordan Williams, Olly Casey, Zac Ashworth, Josh Bowler, Jordan Brown (81'), Karoy Anderson (81'), Hayden Coulson (71'), Ilmari Niskanen (32'), Niall Ennis (81'), CJ Hamilton.
