Luton Town Football Club

Rea 60

Bogle 29, 82

Att: 8,005 (539 away)

The Hatters suffered their first home defeat of the Sky Bet League Two season this afternoon when Omar Bogle’s double, either side of Glen Rea’s first goal in professional football, earned Grimsby all three points at Kenilworth Road.

Nathan Jones’ men slipped from top to third place in the table on a day when Plymouth’s home win over Cambridge took them to the summit, with Portsmouth’s 4-2 victory over Wycombe seeing the south coast club leapfrog the Town.

Jones made one change to the starting line-up that beat Wycombe 4-1 last week, with Alan Sheehan coming in for his first appearance of the campaign after battling back from the calf injury that forced him off the pitch just before kick-off on the opening day at Plymouth.

The Irish centre-half took over the captain’s armband from Scott Cuthbert, was joined on the bench by Rea on his return from international duty with Republic of Ireland U21s, in the only other change to last week’s teamsheet.

Grimsby had the first attempt on goal when Bogle – the division’s five-goal joint-top scorer alongside our own Danny Hylton at kick-off – found space in the box, but Johnny Mullins fought back to get a block on his shot.

Bogle then set Luke Summerfield up on the edge of the box in the tenth minute, but Sheehan threw himself in front of the midfielder’s shot to make another vital block.

Sheehan’s wand of a left foot produced a raking 50-yard pass out to Stephen O’Donnell on the right wing in the 20th minute, and after the full-back laid it back to Hylton, the striker kept his balance under a strong challenge to drive into the box, but his attempted cross was smuggled clear by the Mariners.

Grimsby came close to opening the scoring on 22 minutes when Dominic Vose’s deflected 20-yarder looked like dipping under the crossbar, but Christian Walton proved as alert as ever in the Town goal, arching his back to tip over as back-pedalled. 

Summerfield headed just over from the resulting corner, then Vose went close again soon after, meeting a low cross from Ashley Chambers, but his effort was off target.

Grimsby had the lead in the 29th minute when a corner was only half-cleared to the edge of the box, where Summerfield fired in a shot that Walton saved low, but Bogle was on hand to tap in the rebound from close range.

The Hatters started to get their passing game together just after the half-hour, and after a good move between Sheehan, Cook and McGeehan, Hylton again drove towards the Grimsby byline, his attempted cross-shot deflected into the side-netting for the first of a succession of corners.

Sheehan was on his mettle at the other end, heading clear when Bogle was ready to pounce again on a left-wing cross from Vose, just before the ex-Solihull Moors striker sent a 40th-minute header looping over the bar. 

Two minutes before the break, Sheehan went into referee Darren Deadman’s book for pulling Shaun Tuton back when the striker looked to latch onto a Bogle flick on 20 yards from goal. Bogle’s free-kick hit the wall, before Cook threw himself in the way of Summerfield’s follow-up.

Jones made two substitutions at the interval, with Isaac Vassell coming on for Hylton, who had gone down injured after a clash of heads with Shaun Pearson just before the break, and Rea on for Olly Lee in midfield.

Two minutes in, Walton was called into action again by Bogle, but the Hatters’ soon fashioned an opening in the 50th minute when Mpanzu broke into the box to set up Marriott, whose snap shot was turned away by McKeown. 

Almost immediately, McGeehan met a deep cross at the far post, but couldn’t direct his header on target.

Marriott had another good opportunity in the 57th minute when a fine through ball from Cook sent the striker into a dangerous position, and his low shot was destined for the bottom corner before McKeown’s glove flicked it away.

It was turning into a real battle between Marriott and the Mariners keeper, who produced another terrific save on 59 minutes when Marriott – who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Friday – spun on a beautifully chipped pass over the defence by Mpanzu, but couldn’t find a way past

The equaliser did come on the hour, however, and this time McKeown could do nothing about it. With the pressure mounting, Rea let the ball run across him on the edge of the area before hammering a right-footed shot past the helpless keeper and into the bottom corner.

Walton had to field a dipping volley from Chambers in the 66th minute, but seconds later the Hatters’ wave of attacks picked up again and after O’Donnell cut back from the right byline, Cook stood a lovely cross up to the far post that McGeehan rose to meet, but couldn’t generate enough power to direct his header on target.

Seconds after Ben Davies had gone down in the box appealing for a penalty, which Deadman waved away, Summerfield fired another warning shot just past Walton’s left post.

Back up the other end the Town were proving a real threat in the second period, and in the 71st minute Marriott crossed low to find Vassell, who swept his right-footed effort just over the stanchion.

The visitors regained the lead on 82 minutes when sub Kayden Jackson crossed for Bogle to head in his second of the game, and within two minutes Jackson teed Vose up for a shot that curled past the far post.

Vose then squared for Chambers to fire one across the face of Walton’s goal as the Mariners looked most likely to increase their advantage.

In the 90th minute the Hatters came close to levelling when first Marriott crossed for Rea, and then Vassell couldn’t connect to the loose ball as it dropped. McGeehan headed the resulting corner just wide, and Marriott fired an injury-time shot into McKeown’s arms with the aid of a deflection.

But the second equaliser just wouldn’t come and the Mariners returned north with all three points.

TOWN: Walton, O’Donnell, Mullins, Sheehan, Potts, Lee (Rea 46), Mpanzu (Gilliead 85), McGeehan, Cook, Hylton (Vassell 46), Marriott. Subs: Smith, Cuthbert, Gray, King (GK).

Yellows: Sheehan, Cook

GRIMSBY: McKeown, Davies, Andrew, Pearson, Gowling, Chambers, Bogle, Vose (Berrett 45+3), Summerfield, Comley, Tuton (Jackson 80). Subs: Disley, Berrett, Bolarinwa, Boyce, Vernon, Henderson (GK).

Yellows: Tuton, Comley, McKeown, Jackson