Ian Holloway wants his Grimsby Town players to relax after watching them record a first victory in five Sky Bet League Two games against new boys Barrow.

A second-half strike from Montel Gibson was enough to settle the scores at Blundell Park, while Barrow saw their four-match unbeaten run ended in the process.

Dior Angus was denied by Grimsby captain James McKeown amid a frantic start, with Max Wright and Gibson going close at the other end.

Chances dried up from that moment on, though, before the game sparked back into life upon the restart when Wright and Gibson combined.

It was the latter who grabbed his second goal for the club, finishing off a slick team move on the hour mark.

Barrow pushed and probed for a way back into the contest, with on-loan substitute Jayden Reid striking the base of the post, before seeing another effort cleared by Mattie Pollock.

Holloway said: “I’m pleased for the lads, but we seemed so tense. We’ve got to relax and play a little bit.

“I thought we did really well against a very good, competent, footballing team.

“We’re still making some crazy, crazy decisions sometimes. I think that’s because of how new we are. If I was out there, I would be like; ‘hey, take your time, have a touch’.

“But I can’t argue with it. It was a fantastic ball in and what a great finish it was.

“Some of the other bits and pieces, we’ve shot when we should have passed it and we’ve passed it when we should have shot.

“But that’s life. It feels like we’ve wriggled a monkey off our back. If our fans were here, they would really get my boys going and we’d get a lift from the good things we are doing.

“Unfortunately, everything feels so flat. It’s so strange. People are making strange decisions because there’s no atmosphere.”

Barrow manager David Dunn added: “I’m obviously disappointed that we couldn’t get a positive result.

“We probably deserved something out of the game with the chances that we created, certainly towards the end.

“I’ve said I’m always going to be honest with the lads. I feel like in the last three games they have been excellent. Energy levels have been a big thing for us.

“We struggled to get going a little bit and that carried on. Our passing was a little bit sloppy at times – and it hasn’t been of late.

“They are a good group and the energy levels weren’t quite there. They worked their socks off, as they always do, but they were a bit fatigued.

“That’s given me something to think about for next time for that third game in a week.”