A MICHAEL Coulson strike secured a point for Grimsby Town against Morecambe at Christie Park.

The hosts were on top for much of the first half and they took the lead through striker Paul Mullin shortly before the break.

Morecambe missed chances to extend their advantage but the Mariners were right back in the contest when Coulson levelled the scores just short of the hour mark.

From then on, it was up for grabs, with both sides looking for that elusive winning goal that would have meant so much, for different reasons.

But ultimately, the home side's play-off ambitions were put on hold for another week, while Grimsby's fight against relegation was made even tougher by reults elsewhere.

Town boss Neil Woods made three changes to his starting line-up.All three were forced, with midfielders Jamie Devitt, Dean Sinclair and Peter Sweeney all ruled out through injury.

Their places were taken by Nick Hegarty, Michael Leary and Tommy Wright, with Lee Peacock dropping back into midfield and Wright returning to the Mariners attack.

Nick Colgan started in goal, with Peter Bore, Paul Linwood, Rob Atkinson and Joe Widdowson across the defence.

Coulson joined Hegarty, Leary and Peacock in midfield, while Wright was partnered by the in-form Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro up front.

The Grimsby substitutes were Matthew Bird, Mark Oxley, Ashley Chambers, Nathan Jarman, Adam Proudlock, Mark Hudson and Robbie Stockdale.

Morecambe included former Town striker Phil Jevons in their XI, with the Huddersfield loanee out to add to his tally of 16 goals for the season and take Sammy McIlroy's Shrimps closer to the play-off places.

Another familiar name in the home attack was Mullin, who scored when the two sides met at Blundell Park in December and had hit the net three times in two seasons against Town while wearing the colours of Accrington Stanley.

The Mariners had the first chance of the game in the first minute when a move down the right led to Bore crossing, before Coulson's shot was saved by home keeper Barry Roche.

It was not long before Colgan was called into action, with the Town stopper making a point-blank save from Jim Bentley on three minutes, after a close range effort by Jevons was blocked.

Another opportunity for the home side came soon afterwards when Mullin met a cross from winger Mark Duffy but the striker sent his header wide.

Stewart Drummond then headed over the bar for the hosts after a free kick was delivered into the box by Simon Hackney on the left.

Morecambe bossed the early stages of the game, while the main Mariners threat was coming from Coulson down the right, although he could only find keeper Roche with a cross shortly after the quarter-hour.

The home side had created the better chances and they had another opportunity when Hackney was narrowly wide with a low, curling shot after Atkinson was forced to head away a cross from Duffy to deny Mullin.

Akpa Akpro almost created a goalscoring chance when he won an aerial ball before running at the home defence.The striker then took a shot on but a heavy deflection took the ball comfortably through to Roche.

A shot from Morecambe's Emmanuel Panther was blocked by Leary, before another Akpa Akpro effort was deflected through to Roche at the other end.

Laurence Wilson was the next to threaten for the home side with a fierce shot from long range after a corner was cleared by Peacock but Colgan was equal to the effort, diving to his left and producing a one-handed save.

Peacock had picked up a knock earlier in the game and the resulting injury forced him off on 35 minutes, with Mark Hudson replacing the skipper in central midfield.

Leary saw a shot blocked for Town after good work by Akpa Akpro but the hosts broke away and resumed their pressure on the Town goal.

Morecambe had been the most likely side to open the scoring and they duly did so on 40 minutes.Hackney was given time and space on the left to pick out MULLIN with a cross and the ex-Accrington man headed past Colgan.

Town responded well to going behind at Crewe in midweek when they hit back straight away and there was nearly a repeat when Akpa Akpro had a good chance to equalise within two minutes of the Morecambe opener.

A cross from Wright found his strike partner but Akpa Akpro could only shoot over the bar from close range.

After a lengthy delay for keeper Roche to receive treatment for an injury to his nose, the game resumed and went into four minutes of added time.

A Hegarty cross was headed away at one end, before Hudson had to win a challenge at the other to stop Mullin making progress towards Colgan's goal.

Panther sent a free kick over the bar from a central position as Morecambe looked to go in at half-time with a two-goal cushion.

But as that proved to be the home side's last attacking opportunity of the half, the Mariners were able to return to the dressing rooms with just a one-goal deficit to claw back.

Adam Proudlock replaced Hegarty before the restart, with Akpa Akpro moving to the right wing and Coulson switching to fill Hegarty's berth on the left.

Morecambe came close to doubling their advantage five minutes into the half when Wilson's cross was headed against the bar by Mullin, before Colgan got to the follow-up from the striker.

A free kick for a foul on Akpa Akpro on the edge of the penalty area was eventually cleared after Hudson's delivery caused problems inside the box.

The next Town attack brought a precious equalising goal.Widdowson was found by Leary and the left-back got to the by-line and pulled the ball back for COULSON to smash it past Roche from six yards, with half an hour still to play.

The goal came against the run of play but would have provided an injection of confidence into the Mariners side and they were revitalised as they attacked in pursuit of a second.

A low, hard cross from Bore eluded both of the strikers at the far post, before Wright failed to make progress after a ball from Proudlock.

Morecambe were now the side under pressure as Town looked to get forward more, although the hosts won a corner when Bore blocked an attempted cross from Hackney.

Leary saw a shot headed away for a Town corner with 20 minutes to go but the home side eventually managed to deal with the flag-kick as Roche gratefully gathered after a scramble in the box.

Mullin nearly restored the Morecambe advantage with a looping header from Bentley's cross but the ball went over Colgan's bar.

Wayne Curtis replaced Jevons for the last 15 minutes of the match, which was now wide open as both sides looked for a winning goal.

A long-range shot from Leary was hit straight at Roche, before Proudlock fired wide after Wright had headed the ball on for him.

Panther then shot wide at the other end after Town failed to deal with a cross.

Coulson then had a shot blocked for Town after he was fed by Akpa Akpro.The Barnsley loanee twisted and turned inside the area but was unable to work an opening as the home defenders closed him down.

A Morecambe free kick for a foul by Leary was headed away for a corner by Atkinson but the Shrimps could not profit from the flag.

Then, with the game continuing to move from end to end, Wright hit a low shot that Roche had to get down and save to his left.

Three added minutes were signalled by the fourth official as Morecambe won a corner but they did not take advantage as the ball was cleared.

Town ended the game on the attack but they could not force a second goal and so were forced to settle for one point.

It was a point most Grimsby supporters would have settled for at the start of the game and for long periods of the match itself but dramatic results elsewhere meant Woods' side slipped further behind their relegation rivals at the bottom end of the table.