First-team coach Ben Davies hailed Grimsby’s invaluable 1-0 win League Two win at fellow strugglers Barrow as “a massive step in the right direction”.

And Davies was quick to praise match-winner Luke Spokes, whose first goal for the Mariners after 71 minutes settled a low-key, scrappy affair.

Grimsby remain bottom, seven points worse off than Barrow whose first defeat in five games dropped them to 22nd.

“We felt the rub of the green had not gone our way and there have been games when we could have come away with wins,” said Davies.

“So there was massive pressure on the lads to get a win. But they have gone out and handled it well and were superb.

“I am made up with Luke. We spend hours with the lads on shooting in training and he is always the last to leave.

“So, when it fell to him on the edge of the box, even though it was on his weaker foot, you still think you have got half a chance with him.

“Luke has got good technique but this came as no surprise. We have to drag him off along with a couple of other young lads.

“I had a chat with him the other day and said he had to add goals when you get your chance and tonight he has done that.”

Grimsby have now drawn four and won one of their last five games but Davies remained cautious of predicting a great escape.

“We haven’t looked at a points total. We have found ourselves at the bottom and have got to claw ourselves back slowly, game by game,” he said.

Barrow boss Rob Kelly refused to get too downhearted by his team’s failure to achieve a club record-equalling fifth straight Football League win.

“It wasn’t a great spectacle and one of those games settled by one bit of quality, and that came from their lad,” said Kelly.

“We are all disappointed and will be for the next 24 hours. But I have said this is going to go to the wire and there will be bumps in the road.

“If you had said to us three weeks ago we would be in the situation we are we would have accepted that.

“That doesn’t lessen the disappointment. It was a game we wanted a positive result from to keep that distance between us and the clubs around us.

“If we continue to approach how we have gone about things over the last six or seven games, I am confident come May we will be in the Football League.

“We can play better than we did tonight so we have got to get over it and move onto the next game.

“We never get too high with the wins and we don’t get too low either.”