Second-half goals from Evan Khouri and Jason Svanthorsson earned the Mariners a Boxing Day victory over Harrogate Town at Blundell Park.

After a goalless first 45 minutes of few genuine chances for either side, the midfielder converted Jayden Luker’s cross to break the deadlock.

And the impressive Luker got his second assist of the afternoon when his through-ball set substitute Svanthorsson up to make it 2-0 with 16 minutes to go.

Harrogate pulled a goal back through a Stephen Duke-McKenna free kick and they pushed forward in search of an unlikely equaliser but Town held firm to secure a hard-fought three points.

Three changes were made to the Grimsby team following the defeat at Swindon Town last time out, with Callum Ainley, Khouri and Cameron Gardner coming in for Jordan Davies, Luca Barrington and Danny Rose.

Jordan Wright started in goal, behind an unchanged defence of Lewis Cass, Harvey Rodgers, Cameron McJannet and Denver Hume. George McEachran sat behind Luker, Kieran Green, Khouri and Ainley in midfield, with Gardner leading the attack.

Davies, Barrington and Rose were all named on the bench, where they were joined by Seb Auton, Doug Tharme, Rekeil Pyke and Svanthorsson.

Harrogate arrived in Cleethorpes aiming to stop a run of four consecutive defeats, which left Simon Weaver’s side 20th in the Sky Bet League Two table at kick-off. They would look to the likes of James Daly, Matty Daly and Duke-McKenna to cause problems for the Town defence.

Ainley looked to have created an early opening at one end before James Daly saw a shot blocked at the other in a frantic opening to the contest.

Harrogate took control of possession as the game settled down but a foul on Khouri gave Town a free kick in a dangerous position, 25 yards out, on 12 minutes. Ainley played it low into the penalty area and the ball broke for Luker but his strike went out for a throw-in on the left.

Another shot from Luker took a deflection for a corner and Hume’s delivery from the flag was met by Green at the near post but he could only head into the side-netting.

Ainley took advantage of a mistake by right-back Zico Asare on 20 minutes but when he played the ball through for Gardner, keeper James Belshaw came off his line to reach it first.

A foul on Green brought a free kick on the home right but it did not lead to an opportunity in front of goal, then Cass got back to put in a superb challenge and deny Duke-McKenna from close range after a pull-back from Matty Daly.

Town went close at the other end shortly before the half-hour when a free kick was headed on by Rodgers and met on the volley by Green, whose low strike it the post.

Ainley sent a 20-yard effort over the bar seconds later, before Khouri won a corner as the Mariners started to look the more dangerous of the two sides.

Luker was off-target from the edge of the box on 33 minutes after a cross-field pass from Hume, then defender Anthony O’Connor came out on top in a duel with Gardner as Town continued to look for an opening goal.

Green headed a Harrogate corner away at the other end after Rodgers had blocked a strike from Duke-McKenna and after one added minute at the end of the first half, the game remained goalless at the break.

SECOND HALF

No changes were made before the restart as fog started to come down and good vision by Ainley saw him find Luker on the right, although after cutting into the box, the Luton Town loanee could not beat keeper Belshaw.

Harrogate won a corner at the other end after a patient build-up on the right but the ball from the flag beat everybody and dropped out for a goal kick.

Hume could only find the gloves of Belshaw with a ball into the box from the left but the next time the Mariners went forward, they took the lead. Luker looked up from the right and chipped a cross to the far post, where Khouri glanced a header into the net.

Rose replaced Gardner as Town made the first substitution just before the hour, with Jack Muldoon then coming on for James Daly as the visitors made a change of their own.

Khouri was just wide with a strike from 25 yards, before Muldoon headed wide from a left-wing Matty Foulds cross to the far post.

Svanthorsson came on for Ainley with 68 minutes on the clock, before Cass worked an opening for Green on the right but the midfielder missed the target from a narrow angle as Rose and Khouri both hoped for a pull-back across the six-yard line.

The game’s second goal arrived soon afterwards though, as the Mariners doubled their advantage on 74 minutes. Again, Luker was the architect as he looked up from the right and played a perfect through-ball for Svanthorsson to run onto, take a touch and calmly slot past Belshaw.

But far from the game being over at 2-0, Harrogate made sure they remained in the contest as they pulled a goal back with eight minutes to go. A foul by Green on Muldoon gave the away side a free kick on the edge of the Town box and Duke-McKenna stepped up to curl it beyond the reach of Wright into the top corner of the net.

Davies and Barrington replaced Green and Luker after the goal and a stoppage came for Wright to receive treatment when he stayed down after claiming a cross from Foulds.

The keeper was passed fit to continue and as the game moved into at least seven added minutes, Foulds saw the yellow card for pulling McEachran back.

McEachran was then booked for a foul near the halfway line, before the flurry of yellow cards continued when Svanthorsson was cautioned for delaying a Harrogate free kick. From it, Davies cleared off the line from Matty Daly and the ball was scrambled away for a corner.

Sutton became the latest to be booked after a foul on Khouri, then a shot from Rose took a deflection for a welcome Grimsby corner.

The Mariners had been under pressure for much of the time since Duke-McKenna’s goal but they were able to see the remainder of the game out to collect a big three points.

Town are in action at Blundell Park again on Sunday, when they host Port Vale.

Town: Wright, Cass, Rodgers, McJannet, Hume, McEachran, Luker (Barrington, 83), Green (Davies, 83), Khouri, Ainley (Svanthorsson, 68), Gardner (Rose, 59)
Subs not used: Auton, Tharme, Pyke

Attendance, brought to you by Elegant Beds: 6,514