Grimsby Town will feel short and long-term benefit from Chesterfield defeat | OneFootball

Grimsby used the EFL Trophy match to give debuts to three youngsters, and welcome back long-term absentees Curtis Thompson and Jordan Davies.

Grimsby Town played their final EFL Trophy game of the 2024/25 campaign in midweek, narrowly losing out at Chesterfield in what was essentially a dead rubber, with the Mariners already eliminated and the Spireites progressing to the next stage after success in their opening two group matches against Lincoln City and Manchester City Under-21's.

David Artell has largely used the competition as an opportunity to rotate his squad and give minutes to players returning from injury.

Having previously been beaten by an injury-time winner from the Imps and losing out on penalties to the City youngsters in previous games, there wasn't much for Grimsby to play for in Tuesday's clash at the SMH Group Stadium.

The Mariners lost 3-2 on the night, with Lewis Cass and Cameron Gardner on the scoresheet as they were edged out by an experienced Chesterfield line-up, but the game proved beneficial for Artell and his squad for a few reasons, both in the short and long-term.

Key players made their long-awaited return from injury

Grimsby have been plagued with injuries over the first quarter of their League Two campaign, with multiple key absentees limiting manager Artell's options at times.

These issues appear to be gradually on the mend now, however, with centre-back Doug Tharme and striker Danny Rose now looking near full fitness following long summer lay-offs, while midfielder Kieran Green is also back after a shorter absence, with his dynamism making a huge difference in the Mariners' engine room.

More good news was to come in midweek, however, with Town fans delighted to see Curtis Thompson and Jordan Davies' names on the teamsheet in Derbyshire.

Ex-Wycombe Wanderers man Thompson played the opening 30 minutes of Tuesday's clash, while Wrexham loanee Davies came off the bench to play the final quarter.

The former, a seasoned holding midfielder, has proved vital since his January arrival from Cheltenham Town, and the injury he picked up in a pre-season friendly at York City was a huge blow for the club.

While the likes of Evan Khouri, George McEachran, and Green have stepped in and excelled in the middle of the park, Thompson's availability and experience is a hugely positive development for Artell, and will give him more options, both stylistically and when managing games and situations.

Like his colleague, Davies has been out for some time, picking up a strain at Notts County in August that has kept him sidelined for the best part of three months.

The Welshman had started the season in explosive fashion, scoring twice, including a long-range injury-time winner, against Cheltenham Town in the Mariners' first home game of the campaign.

The 26-year-old two-time promotion winner with his parent club is a class act in the fourth tier. Physically competent and technically superb, Davies has the ability to change the game in an instant.

Any side at this level would miss two players of such quality, and while the Mariners have generally coped well in their absence, and the pair will take time to get up to speed and back to full fitness, their return is a huge boost as Grimsby look to consolidate their top-half position heading into the busy winter schedule.

Three youngsters impress on their senior debuts

As well as welcoming players back from injury, Artell used Tuesday night's fixture to hand senior debuts to three youngsters.

17-year-old youth team defender Callum Storr played at centre-back and acquitted himself superbly against a strong, experienced Spireites' strikeforce containing the likes of Paddy Madden and Will Grigg.

Usually operating at right-back, though capable of playing in the middle, Storr looked comfortable on the ball under pressure, and competed superbly in his physical battles.

Fellow teenager Henry Brown also made his first start. The attacking midfielder had been involved in some of Artell's side's pre-season friendlies, and the former Crewe Alexandra boss saw fit to hand him his debut in what was a much-changed Mariners side.

The Grimsby boss opted to make 10 changes from the previous weekend's victory at AFC Wimbledon, and the youthful options also included fellow midfield player Harvey Cribb.

The 18-year-old, who plays a slightly deeper role than Brown, has played a handful of EFL games for his previous club, Scunthorpe United, in 2022, but has been part of the Mariners' youth set-up since his move east, taking in a loan spell at eighth-tier Bridlington Town of late.

Replacing Thompson after half an hour, Cribb, and the aforementioned Brown both played a part in creating the Mariners' second goal at Chesterfield, a swift and incisive counter-attack finished by Cameron Gardner, another product of the Grimsby academy, to score his first goal in senior football.