THERE was a time when winning away wasn’t a regular occurrence for the Mariners. They went ten months without an away win between November 2003 and September 2004, getting relegated in the process.

So a debut Friday night trip to Cheltenham wasn’t one that Grimsby fans were relishing.

But Russell Slade’s side turned in one of their better performances of a disappointing season with an excellent 3-2 away win.

They had a helping hand with their opening goal on 13 minutes, Shane Higgs shanking a clearance straight to Terry Fleming, who proceeded to lob the ball back into the empty net from fully 40 yards.

That lead lasted just four minutes though, with the hosts’ Steve Guinan nodding an equaliser from Jerry Gill’s left-wing centre.

Town regrouped after the break and were back in front on 56 minutes when Michael Reddy steadied himself in the area and fired beyond Higgs to make it 2-1.

The Robins were back in the game 14 minutes from time when Martin Devaney curled an effort in from the left-hand side that had Mariners’ stopper Anthony Williams clutching at thin air.

And the hosts pushed for a winner but they were undone with a sucker punch on 85 minutes. A long ball over the top of the defence found Reddy and produced a sublime lob from an angle that evaded Higgs and nestled into the back of the net to hand the Mariners all three points.

Robins: Higgs; Gill (Spencer 69), Caines, Duff, Victory; Wilson, Bird, Melligan, Devaney; Guinan (Odejayi 75), Gillespie. Subs not used: Brown, Fyfe, Ward.

Mariners: Williams; McDermott, Jones, Forbes, Ramsden; Fleming, Coldicott, Pinault; Parkinson, Reddy, Gritton. Subs not used: Young, Crane, Downey, Hockless, North.