BURNLEY boss Stan Ternent wasted little time blasting his side's 'shambolic' defending after the remarkable 6-5 defeat at Blundell Park last night.

"You can't have to score seven goals away from home to win," he moaned with frustration etched on his face.

"There still has to be a lot more work done on the training ground.

"I have never scored five away and still lost.

"That has to be the most bizarre match I have ever been involved in.

"Having been in the game for more than 40 years, that is saying something."

But the fact that the words "gobsmacked" and "shambolic" were repeated by the boss so often shows it is not an evening he will look back on with any fondness.

If it should make a footnote in his soon to be published autobiography it will not make pleasant reading for his players, especially Arthur Gnohere.

The French defender was withdrawn five minutes before the break but Ternent blasted: "If he was injured it was only between his ears.

"I took him off because he had cost us three goals! I took him off before he gave any more away, it was ridiculous. They didn't score a good goal all night."

His English may be less than perfect but his manager's face as he pointed towards the dressing room spoke volumes.

Gnohere's nightmare first half had started as early as the third minute when Steve Kabba eased the big defender aside to net with ease.

Worse was to follow as Steve Livingstone beat him in the air and then he was involved in the chances gifted to Kabba for his second and Stuart Campbell for the Mariners fourth.

Gareth Taylor and Ian Moore both equalised and when Robbie Blake and Taylor struck either side of the break it was game on at 4-4.

But a controversial penalty for Alan Pouton and a header from Grimsby's only corner by Simon Ford - "a free header," complained Ternent - made it 6-4 and that tennis score looked like being game, set and match.

Dimitri Papadopoulos was tripped and Blake scored from the spot with seven minutes plus stoppage time still to go.

"I said on the bench that I could see it going to six each," admitted Ternent. "It is all very, very frustrating."

Tonight's Reserve game against Tranmere has been postponed.