At Blundell Park

20th March 2001

Att: 4,843

It is looking increasingly like Trevor Francis' promotion-chasing side will have to settle for the play-offs for a third successive season after dropping two more points - and is has been a sad week for Birmingham. Only one point has been gained in three games, and they were lucky to escape with even that after a poor second half show when they began to look very tired.

Birmingham started much the better, with the pace of the recovered Andy Johnson tested the Mariners defence. Johnson, stretchered off on Saturday at Tranmere, had already had a goal disallowed for offside when opening the scoring with his seventh goal of the season.

Through ball for Johnson whose pace took him past the clumsy challenge of marker Zhang Enhua, before cleverly backheeling flicking the ball past Danny Coyne in the 16th minute.

Two minutes later Coyne was lucky to see the ball drift wide after his clearance was charged down by the menacing Johnson, who was the game's dominant figure in the first half hour.

He was involved in a fine length of the pitch break after 30 minutes. It was started by Stan Lazaridis winning the ball from Kevin Donovan on the edge of the Birmingham penalty area. A threaded pass up the line found Johnson, who turned and played Nicky Eaden in on the right, but the midfielder's effort on the run was straight at Coyne.

Grimsby skipper Paul Groves' 20-yard free-kick was unfortunately straight at goalkeeper Ian Bennett, who was able to collect the 38th minute effort, but the home side were back in the game.

Those punters who chose to queue early for their interval refreshments would have missed the best part of the game. For there were more incidents in first-half stoppage time than in the previous 45 minutes.

First Johnson thought he should have had a penalty when going down as he shielded the ball from Enhua, but he carried on and touched the ball to strike partner Dele Adebola, whose fine cross just eluded Eaden.

Then two good chances were spurned by Grimsby, before a penalty gave them an equaliser. Donovan rounded Bennett but had been driven wide and could not get a shot in. Seconds later Mike Jeffrey was found in acres of space in the left edge of the box but could not chip Bennett.

No matter, for seconds later - from the resultant corner - a handling offence was spotted and sub Alan Pouton coolly slotted the spot-kick into the bottom of the net.

Enhua nearly scored from close range after 56 minutes when Jamie Pollock, stationed on the line for a corner, only nodded the ball tamely for the Chinese just two yards out. But Enhua could not keep his instant effort down and it thudded against the crossbar.

Cornwall glanced a header at Bennett a minute later, as it was the relegation-threatened side that looked the likelier scorers after the break.

Geoff Horsfield came on for Birmingham but failed to control his 70th minute opportunity which was blasted pitifully wide, and City's lack of goalscoring threat means that their chance to go third was lost.

The automatic place looks a long way away after a grim week for Francis, but Grimsby's point edges them further from the relegation zone. Their tough run in - the last three games are against Birmingham, Blackburn and Fulham - mean that the only six-pointer remaining is the visit of Tranmere in the next home match. 

There is much work for both to do.