A goal in each half sent Grimsby Town to defeat at home to Stevenage.
Striker Kurtis Guthrie scored twice for the away side to extend the Mariners’ winless run to eight games.
Town had the better of the early play and looked set to take the lead but Luke Hendrie was brilliantly denied by visiting keeper Paul Farman.
Instead, it was Guthrie who broke the deadlock, before deservedly making the points safe for Stevenage with a second goal six minutes after the break.
Charles Vernam went close to pulling one back for the hosts but ultimately, they were unable to get on the scoresheet as they went through a fourth game since last finding the net.
Four changes were made to the Town side after last week’s defeat at Oldham, with Alex Whitmore, Danny Collins, Harry Cardwell and Vernam all coming into the team as Ludvig Ohman, Sebastian Ring, Martyn Woolford and Wes Thomas all missed out.
James McKeown began in goal, with Hendrie operating on the right and Reece Hall-Johnson on the right as Harry Davis, Whitmore and Collins made up a back three.
Harry Clifton, Jake Hessenthaler and Vernam were the midfielders, with Cardwell starting alongside Kristian Dennis in attack.
The Grimsby substitutes were Sebastian Ring, Joe Grayson, Woolford, Sam Russell, Brandon Buckley, Rumarn Burrell and Mattie Pollock.
Stevenage travelled north in a similar position to their hosts, knowing they would be playing League Two football again next season and looking to finish the campaign as strongly as possible.
After a quick start to the game, striker Guthrie almost had an opportunity for the visitors but Hesseenthaler got back to clear the danger.
Instead, the first real chance of the game came on six minutes and saw Hendrie shoot from 12 yards but keeper Farman made a superb reaction save to tip the ball over the bar for a corner.
Five minutes later, striker Ilias Chair kept the ball in near the corner flag and found Guthrie, who drove into the box from the left but shot tamely wide of the near post.
Town were having most of the ball but Stevenage were creating the better chances, with Chair shooting wide from the edge of the box on 17 minutes.
Cardwell saw an effort blocked from the edge of the penalty area as the Mariners looked to create opportunities of their own.
But when the deadlock was broken on 23 minutes, it was the visitors who took the lead through GUTHRIE, whose delicate finish sent the ball past the onrushing McKeown from a narrow angle after he had been found by Chair.
A foul on Clifton by midfielder Michael Timlin gave Town a free kick in a promising position on the half-hour but the shot from Dennis caused no problems for Farman as it sailed over the bar.
A shot from Cardwell was blocked on 34 minutes and the ball almost fell into the path of Vernam but defender Joe Martin got there first to clear.
Another Town free kick came when Hall-Johnson was fouled on the left as he looked to drive into the box but it came to nothing as Collins was penalised for a foul as he met Hessenthaler’s delivery at the far post.
The Mariners went close on 40 minutes, when a good move led to Vernam sending over a low cross for Dennis but the striker’s flick could only find the side-netting.
A nice move at the other end soon afterwards led to a chance for Timlin to shoot from 20 yards but his effort flew over the bar.
A stoppage came for Hall-Johnson to receive treatment on an injury just before the game moved into three added minutes.
Martin was shown the yellow card for preventing a Town throw-in from being taken, before a good run and cross from Clifton went without reward as nobody was in the right place to meet it and the ball was cleared.
That proved to be the last chance either side had to put pressure on the opponents’ goal before the half-time whistle, with Stevenage’s lead remaining intact at the break.
Arthur Iontton replaced Joel Byrom for the away side before the restart and an early chance to attack the Stevenage goal came when Clifton was fouled as he cut in from the right towards the peenalty area. Hessenthaler’s free kick was headed clear.
Stevenage’s first chance of the half saw them double their advantage as they grabbed a second goal on 50 minutes. Chair’s cross to the far post picked out GUTHRIE and his downward header beat McKeown and nestled in the bottom corner of the net.
Guthrie almost had a chance to complete his hat-trick on 56 minutes but couldn’t quite connect with a low ball aacross th six-yard line and Town’s deficit remained at two goals.
Grayson replaced Hall-Johnson as the Mariners made their first change a minute later, before Hendrie won a corner on the right. Grayson took the kick himself and it found Dennis at the near post but his header was blocked by Farman.
Chair, who had impressed throughout, went down with an injury on the hour and was eventually replaced by Dan Newton.
Defender Scott Cuthbert headed out for a corner to stop a long ball from reaching Dennis but Grayson’s delivery from the flag was cleared.
A Grayson free kick from the right was headed out for a corner on 67 minutes, which was dealt with by Farman with a good punch.
Woolford came on for Cardwell in the home side’s second substitution, before a shot from Timlin from 25 yards was comfortably stopped by McKeown.
A shot from Vernam was blocked for a corner on 75 minutes but Town were unable to profit from it as the ball was turned behind for a goal kick after Farman’s attempted punch.
Emmanuel Sonupe was sent on in place of Moses Makasi for Stevenage after the winger picked up an injury with 13 minutes to go.
The visitors created another opportunity soon aftewards when Martin sent a great cross over from the left. Again, Guthrie was on the end of it but this time, he coul not keep his header down.
Seconds later, the Mariners had their best chance of the game so far when Woolford slipped the ball through for Vernam on the edge of the box but his effort curled just wide of the far post.
Rumarn Burrell came on for the last six minutes for his Town debut, with the striker replacing Davis.
Six added minutes were played at the end of the game but the Mariners were unable to threaten Farman’s goal in them and Stevenage were left to celebrate their win.
Town are next in action on Saturday, when they travel to Morecambe.
Grimsby Town
1 James McKeown
27 Luke Hendrie
2 Reece Hall-Johnson
25 Alex Whitmore
6 Danny Collins (C)
24 Harry Davis
7 Jake Hessenthaler
15 Harry Clifton
8 Kristian Dennis
18 Charles Vernam
17 Harry Cardwell
Subs
23 Sam Russell
14 Joe Grayson
31 Matthew Pollock
3 Sebastian Ring
26 Brandon Buckley
16 Martyn Woolford
29 Rumarn Burrell
Stevenage
1 Paul Farman
31 Ben Nugent
5 Scott Cuthbert (C)
15 Terence Vancooten
2 Luther Wildin
37 Joe Martin
4 Michael Timlin
8 Joel Byrom
28 Kurtis Guthrie
24 Moses Makasi
12 Ilias Chair
Subs
27 Oliver Byrne
3 Johnny Hunt
16 Arthur Iontton
11 Emmanuel Sonupe
6 Mark McKee
19 Danny Newton
29 Liam Smyth
Referee: Mr Trevor Kettle
Attendance: 3,689 (112)
