It was a painful night for Harambee Stars midfielder Clarke Oduor after his side Grimsby Town suffered a heartbreaking late defeat to Salford City in the League Two promotion play-off semi-final second leg.
The Kenyan midfielder was introduced in the 110th minute for Kieran Green during a tense extra-time period, but he could not help prevent the Mariners from crashing out after a dramatic 4-3 aggregate defeat away at Salford.
Grimsby travelled across the Pennines trailing 2-1 from the first leg at Blundell Park, knowing they needed a victory to keep their hopes of reaching Wembley alive. Despite the pressure, David Artell’s men produced a spirited display that nearly completed an incredible comeback before heartbreak struck late in extra time.
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Grimsby Town fall to Salford City
The opening half was cagey, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut opportunities. Grimsby controlled large spells of possession but lacked the cutting edge in the final third, while Salford looked dangerous on the counterattack through Kelly N’Mai and Kallum Cesay.
The home side eventually found the breakthrough eight minutes into the second half. Luke Garbutt’s delivery from a corner fell kindly for Dan Udoh at the far post and the striker rifled a volley beyond goalkeeper Jackson Smith to hand Salford a two-goal aggregate advantage.
At that stage, Grimsby needed at least two goals to force extra time, but instead of folding under pressure, the visitors showed immense resilience.
David Artell turned to his bench just after the hour mark, bringing on Jaze Kabia and Justin Amaluzor in search of inspiration. The changes transformed the game.
With 17 minutes remaining, Grimsby finally found their breakthrough. A well-delivered corner from Reece Staunton was met by Kieran Green, who powered a header past Matt Young to reduce the deficit and spark belief among the travelling supporters.
Barely four minutes later, the Mariners were level on aggregate. Charles Vernam released Green down the right and his dangerous low cross found Kabia, who finished from close range to send the away end into wild celebrations.
Suddenly, the momentum had shifted completely. The 564 travelling Grimsby fans could sense a famous comeback as Salford struggled to regain control.
Neither side managed to find the decisive goal during normal time, forcing the tie into an additional 30 minutes after the aggregate score stood at 3-3.
Extra time produced more drama and tension, with both teams pushing desperately for a winner. Kabia came close early on, while Salford substitute Fabio Borini also threatened from distance.
With 11 minutes left to play, Grimsby suffered a major setback when goalscorer Kieran Green picked up an injury and was unable to continue. That saw Clarke Oduor introduced into the contest as the Mariners searched for one final push toward penalties or a winning goal.
However, just when a shoot-out looked inevitable, Salford delivered the crushing blow. A long throw into the Grimsby penalty area was not properly cleared and the ball eventually fell to Cesay, who calmly held off his marker before slotting past Smith with only three minutes remaining.
The late strike silenced the Grimsby supporters and ultimately sealed Salford’s place in the final at Wembley, where they will face Notts County on May 25.
Grimsby pushed forward desperately in stoppage time, even throwing defender Doug Tharme on as an emergency attacking option, but Salford held firm to secure a dramatic victory.
For Clarke Oduor and Grimsby Town, the defeat marked a heartbreaking end to a season that had shown significant progress and promise. Despite falling short of Wembley, the Mariners demonstrated character, fight and resilience throughout the campaign, qualities they will hope to carry into the 2026-27 season.