Caretaker manager Mark Trueman insists there is even more to come from Bradford after grinding out a 2-1 win against Grimsby

Goals from Lee Novak and Levi Sutton – the first a spectacular overhead kick – earned the Bantams a second straight victory at Blundell Park.

Harry Clifton responded for the Mariners, who slipped to their 10th defeat of the season but do remain six points clear of the League Two relegation zone.

Having made one change ahead of kick-off, Grimsby settled quickly and went close through Luke Spokes and Montel Gibson, who both fired wide.

It marked a bright start from the home side, but it was Bradford who edged themselves in front after 22 minutes when Novak acrobatically found the top corner.

Sutton lobbed James McKeown to make it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time, while Clifton gave Grimsby hope early in the second half.

Bradford ultimately held on, though, to make it seven points from a possible nine since the departure of Stuart McCall.

Trueman, who remains in temporary charge alongside Conor Sellers, said: “It was a good win for us and we weren’t at our best. We showed that we can win ugly and pick up three points. That’s the most important thing.

“I thought we could have kept the ball better at times. We demand that and expect that. It wasn’t the case, but sometimes you have got to win this way.

“That spell of possession we had after scoring the first goal, we didn’t rest up and looked to push on. That was our best spell of the game.”

On the prospect of replacing McCall on a permanent basis, Trueman added: “I’ve got a job to do and that’s to get points for Bradford City. I feel as though the team are getting better every game. If the board above want us, or if they want a new manager, I just want to keep doing my job.”

Grimsby manager Ian Holloway praised his side for fighting back.

He said: “A lot of teams would have been totally defeated by the second goal, but we weren’t. We got back in it and, in the end, we didn’t have another goal in us.

“Plenty of positives and there’s a great attitude around the place, but we were a little short up front really, at times. That’s how it is and we’ve got to keep going.

“I thought we played better than we did in our last game, but we lost. We’re just a little bit naive. I’m encouraging them all the time and they showed a lot of good signs.

“It’s just about getting that little bit of a break and getting a run going. It’s so gruelling at the minute with all these games that we have.”