Having won promotion from the National League in the 2021-22 season, Grimsby have adapted well to life back in the fourth tier, currently 13th in the table, seemingly in no danger of being embroiled in a relegation battle.
The Mariners have also played one game fewer than the three sides immediately above them in the table, and they could rise as high as 10th with a victory in their additional match.
In the past couple of weeks, however, wins have been hard to come by, getting a decent point against sixth-placed Bradford City to begin with, but then losing in away trips to Barrow and Hartlepool United.
These were uncharacteristic losses for Paul Hurst’s side, boasting the third-best away record in the division with 16 points from nine games.
The loss at Hartlepool last time out will be particularly tough to take, as their opponents are currently languishing in the relegation zone but managed to come from behind to secure a late 2-1 victory, with Alexq Lacey netting a 78th-minute equaliser before Niall Maher scored an own goal just minutes later.
Defeats have been few and far between for Saturday’s visitors this season, undefeated since an away trip to Charlton Athletic in August, a run that leaves them top of League One, seven points clear of third-placed Sheffield Wednesday.
Incredibly, Steven Schumacher’s side have won 11 and drawn two of their last 13 league matches, leaving themselves in a great position to get promoted to the Championship for the first time in more than a decade.
Links > Stream 1 HD Stream 2 HD Stream 3 HD Stream 4 HD
The Plymouth boss has a formidable home record to thank for the remarkable rise up the table, winning all nine of their games at Home Park up to this point, most recently defeating rivals Exeter City 4-2, with a second-half Ryan Hardie brace securing the bragging rights for the Argyle faithful.
If there is one minor flaw that Grimsby could exploit however, the Pilgrims have not been quite as ruthless away from home, losing 2-1 at bottom-half Fleetwood Town and drawing 2-2 against 16th-placed Bristol Rovers in late October.
Sean Scannell was back on the training pitch for Grimsby last week, making progress in his recovery from an Achilles injury, although he is still a long way off returning to first-team action.
In the forward’s absence, Lewis Richardson and Ryan Taylor should lead the line for the Mariners, having both started in the recent away trip to Hartlepool
