Grimsby Town 0 Macclesfield Town 0

Last updated : 02 May 2009 By Footymad Previewer
Grimsby's season ended as it began with a goalless home draw, a result which was enough to rubber stamp their Football League survival.

With relegation a near impossibility owing to a vastly superior goal difference over Chester, the last match attracted Grimsby's second largest crowd of the season but the game never really got going.

Perhaps the best two chances of the game fell to Macclesfield with Grimsby goalkeeper Wayne Henderson denying leading scorer Gareth Evans early on and then doing the same to central defender Richard Walker in the closing stages.

But it was Henderson's opposite number Jonny Brain who was the busier 'keeper and he made a number of smart stops in the second half as Grimsby, urged on by their supporters, tried to find a breakthrough.

Rather strangely both sides made a triple substitution in the second 45 minutes. Grimsby were the first to do so after 66 minutes and Macclesfield manager Keith Alexander, returning to one of his old clubs, did so seven minutes later.

But even the introduction of six newcomers, including 17-year-old Josh Fuller for Grimsby, failed to make much difference.

However striker Adrian Forbes did make his mark, catching the goalkeeper and then another Macclesfield player before getting his name in the book.

Both sides will be meeting again next season, although probably with much changed line-ups as both managers will be releasing several players and bringing in new blood come August.