GRIMSBY Town threw everything at relegation rivals Cheltenham but ultimately had to settle for just one point.
In a stirring second half display, the Mariners launched wave after wave of attack but their goalscoring problems continued as the visitors held firm.
Cheltenham could have taken the lead themselves when they were awarded a penalty shortly before half-time but top scorer Justin Richards smashed the spot kick against the bar.
The pendulum swung in favour of the home side 10 minutes after the break when the visitors were reduced to 10 men after defender Ashley Eastham was shown a second yellow card.
But despite dominating for the remainder of the game and having an Adam Proudlock goal ruled out for offside, Town could not capitalise on the numerical advantage and claim a much-needed win.
Instead, the run of games without a victory was stretched to 17 and with results elsewhere going against them, the gap to the safety mark at the bottom of League Two increased to six points.
Town boss Neil Woods stuck with the same starting XI that came so close to claiming all three points against Bury last time out.
That meant Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro and Proudlock were again paired in attack, despite the loan signing of Burnley youngster Wes Fletcher.
The 18-year-old completed a loan switch from Turf Moor in time to claim a place in the squad and was named on the bench.
Nick Colgan continued in goal, with Peter Bore, Paul Linwood, Rob Atkinson and Damien McCrory in defence.
The midfielders were Nicky Featherstone, Michael Leary, Peter Sweeney and Michael Coulson, with Akpa Akpro and Proudlock leading the line up front.
Fletcher was joined amongst the substitutes by Leigh Overton, Joe Widdowson, Matt Heywood, Nathan Jarman, Danny North and Mark Hudson.
Cheltenham's main threat was likely to come from striker Richards, who had registered eight league goals this campaign prior to the trip east.
He was joined in attack by veteran Julian Alsop, who was out to add to his tally of two goals so far this season, while another experienced forward, Barry Hayles, was kept in reserve on the Robins' bench.
The game was a vital one for both sides as the second-from-bottom Mariners looked to halve the points gap to Mark Yates' 21st placed Cheltenham to three points, while the visitors were out to stretch further clear of the relegation zone.
Town won their first corner in the first minute of the game but Atkinson could not direct his header goalwards after Sweeney's delivery from the right.
Akpa Akpro won another flag-kick on the left on five minutes but this time, Featherstone's near-post kick was headed away by Alsop.
Akpa Akpro was involved again soon afterwards, picking the ball up on halfway before setting off on a run and picking out McCrory on the left.
The Plymouth loanee looked for a return ball to the striker but his low cross was too close to keeper Scott Brown, who cut out the danger.
The visitors' first big chance came after a relatively quiet opening 10 minutes from their point of view.
Midfielder David Hutton found Richards on the edge of the penalty area and he lashed a low shot that beat Colgan but finished narrowly wide of the far post.
Grimsby had enjoyed the better of the early stages but the away side began to come into the game more, looking to hit the Mariners on the break.
A driving run from Bore caused problems for the Cheltenham defence as he raced into the penalty area before seeing a shot blocked from 15 yards.The rebound fell to Leary, who curled a first time effort over the bar.
Akpa Akpro combined with Coulson on 20 minutes, with the Barnsley youngster forcing a flying save out of Brown from outside the box.
The home pressure continued when Akpa Akpro was pulled down by Ashley Eastham as he looked to burst into the area.The defender was booked for the foul but Town failed to capitalise from the free kick, with Sweeney squaring to Coulson, only for the shot to be blocked.
Linwood was the first Town player to be shown the yellow card by referee Tierney after a foul on winger Joss Labadie, 25 yards from goal.Hutton took the free kick from a central position but his shot curled around Colgan's post.
Richards was fouled by Leary just after the half-hour, bringing an end to an extended Cheltenham passing move.The free kick was a poor one, with the shot from Danny Andrew hitting the Town wall before a volley was deflected away for a corner.
The visitors were now starting to dominate the game, keeping possession and forcing the Mariners to play much of the game inside their own half of the pitch.
Neither goalkeeper had been seriously tested though, with Colgan not forced into any real action and his opposite number only called upon to claim crosses and stop Coulson's earlier shot.
Brown did find himself with something to do on 40 minutes, when Featherstone hit a low shot from 20 yards but it proved to be relatively comfortable for the keeper.
A big turning point could have come seconds later, when Richards was adjudged to have been brought down inside the penalty area by Leary.
After the Mariners protests were waved away, Richards casually stepped up to take the spot kick but he failed to find the net from 12 yards, instead watching the ball crash against the bar before going out for a goal kick.
Three minutes of added time were signalled and after their let-off from the spot, the Mariners were able to see out the extra period and get to the break with the scores still level.
Grimsby had started well and were much the better side in the opening stages, before Cheltenham started to make their mark on the game.
But with the game goalless at the interval, it was very much there for the taking for either side.
No substitutions were made before the restart and Grimsby had the first chance to create danger of the second half when Akpa Akpro was brought down on the right side of the penalty area.
Sweeney took the free kick short to Coulson and he touched it back to the former Leeds midfielder, whose low, curling shot was deflected wide for a corner.
Town started the half well and they forced another corner on 53 minutes.The initial kick was headed away as far as Coulson and he cut in before having a shot deflected away for another flag-kick.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men two minutes later after Akpa Akpro had tried to make a run down the right.He was brought down near the dug-outs by Eastham and with the defender already on a yellow card, the referee had little option but to brandish the card again, followed by a red.
Akpa Akpro went close to opening the scoring as the Mariners began to pile pressure on the visitors.The Ivorian linked up with Featherstone before shooting from inside the box but Brown blocked the effort and Akpa Akpro was off-target with a header from the rebound.
Michael Pook replaced Hutton for Cheltenham as they re-organised following the sending-off.
The momentum was now firmly with the Mariners though, as they looked to make the extra man count.
Bore was fouled by Michael Townsend on the edge of the box and from Sweeney's free kick, the visitors failed to clear the ball and Proudlock bundled it into the net, only to have the goal ruled out for offside.
Proudlock was given another chance to grab that elusive goal seconds later when he met a Bore cross from the right with a volley, only to be denied by a fantastic, instinctive save by Brown from point blank range.
Sweeney was given another set-piece opportunity from a central position on 65 minutes but he curled his 25-yard free kick inches past the post.
Grimsby were well on top and had the home crowd behind them but the hosts were again finding the goals hard to come by.
Manager Woods looked to rectify this by sending Burnley loanee Fletcher on for his Town debut in place of Akpa Akpro with a little less than 20 minutes left to play.
Featherstone tried his luck from 20 yards as the Mariners continued to threaten but again, Brown stretched and got his fingers to the ball to divert it over the bar.
A Josh Low cross from the right was headed away by Sweeney as Cheltenham launched a rare attack on 72 minutes.
But it was still all Town and Proudlock had another chance when a good low cross from McCrory eluded everybody in front of goal before the striker crashed the ball over the bar after meeting it at the far post.
Nathan Jarman replaced Featherstone for the last 15 minutes of the game, shortly before Low was booked for a foul on McCrory.
Cheltenham sent out a reminder that they too were still looking to win the game when Low turned and fired narrowly over the bar after linking up with Richards on the edge of the box.
The last Grimsby change saw Danny North enter the fray in place of Proudlock for the last 10 minutes, with Town throwing everything at the visitors' goal as they went all out for the win.
North won a corner on the right with seven minutes left but Sweeney's kick was headed away by Alsop and still, the scores remained level.
Brown was yellow-carded for timewasting as he looked to use vital seconds up by delaying a free kick.
Then, from another set-piece, Richards headed over after Andrew swept the ball into the danger zone from the left.
Town were almost made to pay when Linwood gave the ball away inside his own half and Low had a clear route through but dragged his shot wide.
Just over a minute was left when Sweeney was given another shooting opportunity from a free kick but this time, he could only hit the wall from 25 yards.
Four added minutes were signalled as Town continued to pile forward, with the 3,000-plus home fans willing the ball towards the net guarded by Brown.
Coulson was fouled close to the edge of the area with less than a minute left of the added time.This time, the winger took the kick himself but it was deflected over for a corner.
From it, the Cheltenham defence struggled to clear the danger but the ball was eventually forced over the bar, with a goal kick given.
The Town players argued it should have been a corner, with Jarman booked for his protests.
That proved to be the last action of the game as Cheltenham hung on for the draw, which would have been received far better in the away dressing room and in Gloucestershire than it was for Grimsby and their fans.
Town are next in action when they travel to face Rotherham United on Saturday.
