The Mariners were beaten for the first time this season as Bristol Rovers took all three points away from Blundell Park.

Right-back Macauley Southam-Hales’ first-half volley put the visitors ahead and they managed the rest of the game well to secure a second consecutive Sky Bet League Two victory.

Town had long spells of pressure after the break but were left frustrated in their efforts to find an equaliser as the away side held on.

Four changes were made to the Grimsby starting XI after the midweek Carabao Cup heroics against Manchester United, with Reece Staunton, Geza Turi, Justin Amaluzor and Jaze Kabia coming in for Jayden Sweeney, George McEachran, Darragh Burns and Cameron Gardner.

Goalkeeper Christy Pym was protected by a defence of Harvey Rodgers, Tyrell Warren, Cameron McJannet and Staunton, while Turi lined up behind Amaluzor, Kieran Green, Evan Khouri and Charles Vernam in midfield and Kabia led the attack.

Sweeney, McEachran, Burns and Gardner were all named on the bench, where they were joined by Seb Auton, Clarke Oduor and Danny Rose.

Rovers made the long journey from the south-west looking to make it back-to-back league wins, having registered their first of the campaign by beating Cambridge United last week.  Rovers also had a penalty shootout success in midweek, beating Tottenham Hotspur U21 in the Vertu Trophy.

Manager Darrell Clarke named former Mariners midfielder Kamil Conteh in his starting line-up, with Josh McEachran alongside him awaiting an opportunity to face his brother, George.

FIRST HALF

Rodgers won the game’s first corner on the right but goalkeeper Luke Southwood punched Vernam’s delivery clear.

A second corner followed soon afterwards and after it was initially played short, Vernam crossed to the far post but nobody could get on the end of it.

The visitors’ first attack of note saw them win a corner of their own, although Turi headed it clear at the near post.

Warren headed clear from a Southam-Hales cross, before Pym’s first action saw him dive to stop a low shot from Ruel Sotiriou.

Kabia was brought down on the right to give Town a free kick near the edge of the penalty area and Staunton swung it towards the far post but after Southwood got a touch to the ball, nobody could force it back towards goal.

The game was moving from end to end as the quarter-hour approached and Green headed Rovers latest corner clear at the near post, before a long ball into the Town box proved too far ahead of striker Ellis Harrison.

A foul on Kabia gave the hosts a chance to attack from a free kick on the right on 21 minutes but Vernam’s delivery bounced through to Southwood, then Pym collected a Luke Thomas cross at the other end.

Amaluzor became the first of the afternoon to see the yellow card after a foul on Jack Sparkes near the halfway line, following a run down the right from the winger.

Southam-Hales then saw an away corner headed behind for another one and this time, it led to the opening goal.  Sparkes’ ball from the flag broke for SOUTHAM-HALES on the edge of the box and his perfectly-executed volley flew past Pym.

Amaluzor was unable to get on the end of a Staunton cross as Town looked to respond, then Kabia stayed down after a challenge with Conteh but was eventually passed fit to continue.

Kacper Lopata was booked for pulling Kabia down 30 yards from goal but Southwood got down to stop Vernam’s strike from the resulting free kick, before Promise Omochere got back to sweep the ball behind for a corner as Rodgers looked to pounce from the home side’s next attack.

Three added minutes were played at the end of the first half, as the Mariners looked for an equaliser before the break.

Warren was off-target with a strike from distance but with no further chances coming for either side, Rovers retained their one-goal advantage at half-time.

SECOND HALF

Burns and McEachran replaced Amaluzor and Turi for Town ahead of the restart but the visitors had the first opening of the second half with a corner from the left.  Southam-Hales’ flag-kick eventually fell for Sotiriou but he was quickly closed down by McEachran.

Vernam cleared another Southam-Hales corner soon afterwards, then Warren had to put in a good challenge to deny Sotiriou after a mistake by Staunton.

Sotiriou went down seconds later and had to be replaced, with Fabrizio Cavegn the man to come on.

Conteh caught Khouri with a late challenge on 54 minutes to give the hosts a free kick in a central position.  Staunton squared it to McEachran but his ball into the box was cleared.

Town continued to attack and a low cross from McJannet was dealt with, then Harrison saw a shot blocked at the other end.

Khouri, Staunton and Vernam linked up to create a chance soon afterwards but Southwood parried Vernam’s strike and Kabia was unable to get to the rebound.

Rovers captain Alfie Kilgour was booked for time-wasting over a goal kick, then Pym had to make a strong block to deny Omochere.  Town launched a quick break but were unable to make it count as Southwood claimed the ball from McEachran’s cross.

Taylor Moore replaced Thomas and Ryan Howley came on for Harrison as the visitors made a double-substitution two minutes after the hour, then Kabia was caught offside as he looked to meet a ball from Rodgers.

Southwood got to a low cross from Vernam ahead of Kabia at the end of a flowing move from the left, then Rodgers won a corner after a neat through-ball by Burns as the home pressure continued to build.  From it, McEachran eventually lifted a first-time strike over the bar from the edge of the box.

Staunton had another opportunity to create danger from a free kick on the right after Burns was brought down and the left-back’s delivery found Kabia but he could only direct a header wide.

Rovers’ McEachran made way for Isaac Hutchinson in their latest change on 74 minutes and his first involvement was to drill a 20-yard strike which took a deflection for a corner.  Green headed it clear at the near post.

Gardner and Rose came on for Kabia and Staunton with 10 minutes to go as Town looked to an extra striker in a bid to turn the game around.

Burns saw a shot blocked after a well-worked free kick, then a corner from the Town right led to another one, which was cleared for a throw-in.

The pressure was continuing to build on the Rovers goal as the clock ticked down and Southwood dived on the ball from a low cross by Green as Rose looked to pounce.

A shot from Khouri was blocked on the line for a corner as the game moved into at least seven added minutes, then Oduor replaced Vernam in Town’s latest substitution.

The Mariners kept pushing forward in search of a goal which would have kept their unbeaten start to the season going but it was not to be and instead, they were left to reflect on a first defeat of 2025-26.

Town are next in action on Tuesday, when they open their Vertu Trophy campaign with a trip to Bradford City.

Town: Pym, Rodgers, Warren, McJannet, Staunton (Rose, 80), Turi (McEachran, 46), Amaluzor (Burns, 46), Green, Khouri, Vernam (Oduor, 90+1), Kabia (Gardner, 80)

Subs not used: Auton, Sweeney

The official attendance, brought to you by The Kingsway Hotel Cleethorpes, was 7406 with 407 visitors from Bristol Rovers.

UTM