The Mariners bossed the contest from start to finish against a poor home side, who struggled to threaten Kenny Arthur's goal until the closing stages of the game.

After losing at the weekend, it was a much improved performance from Grimsby, who turned in a fine second half display after a first half of few chances for either team.

Lewis Gobern, making his first appearance for Town, was impressive on the right side of midfield, while the defence was solid in keeping a second successive away clean sheet.

And after the disappointment of the defeat by Hayes and Yeading, both the performance and the result here gave plenty of encouragement for the rest of the season.

Three changes were made to the Town side, with Gobern, Micky Cummins and Tom Corner all handed their first starts for the Mariners.

Gobern took up a place on the right wing as Dwayne Samuels dropped to the bench, while Corner replaced the injured Michael Coulson in attack and Cummins came in for Michael Leary in the centre of midfield.

Arthur started in goal, with Peter Bore beginning at right-back after occupying a more advanced wing role against Hayes.

Darran Kempson and Watt were again preferred by Neil Woods as the central defensive partnership, with Lee Ridley lining up at left-back.

Gobern and Cummins were joined in midfield by Mark Hudson and Rob Eagle and Alan Connell led the line alongside Corner up front.

There were attacking options on the bench, where Charles Ademeno and Lee Peacock took up two of the five places, along with defensive cover in the shape of Scott Garner, Samuels and Bradley Wood.

One to watch in the Darlington line-up would be striker Liam Hatch, who is in his third loan spell in the north-east from Peterborough, who paid £150,000 for his services two years ago.

Hatch had already found the net once in his three appearances for the Quakers so far this campaign, bagging the winner in the 1-0 success against Newport County on the opening day.

There was no place for former Town front man Tommy Wright in the hosts' match day squad after he was ruled out through injury.

Town kicked off in their blue away kit and debutant Corner was involved early on, making a promising forward run with the ball, seconds before conceding a free kick for a foul on Paul Arnison.

The first attempt at goal came through Connell on five minutes, as the striker controlled the ball before hitting a weak shot on the turn that bounced through for home keeper Sam Russell to collect.

Corner thought he had won the first flag-kick of the game after he was released inside the box by Connell but after the youngster was challenged, referee Richard West ruled the Town man had the last touch and signalled for a goal-kick.

Instead, it was the hosts who won the first corner on 11 minutes but the delivery from the right beat everybody and resulted in a goal-kick to Town.

Eagle was adjudged to have been fouled by Arnison on the Grimsby left three minutes later and the winger's free kick was headed away for a corner, which was comfortably dealt with by the Darlo defence.

A driving run through the middle by Gobern led to a chance for Town on 18 minutes. The winger found Connell on the right and his cross was headed towards goal by Hudson but keeper Russell claimed an easy catch.

The first 20 minutes passed without either side making any real impression in front of goal, although the Mariners were shading things in terms of possession and territory and were looking comfortable at the back.

Town were forced into an early substitution when Ridley picked up an injury on 23 minutes and the former Scunthorpe defender, who had been handed the captain's armband for the night, was replaced by Bradley Wood.

Connell linked up well with Eagle to create a chance three minutes later but the winger's low cross was cut out for a corner and his subsequent flag-kick was headed away from danger.

Watt was penalised for a foul on John McReady inside the Town half just before the half-hour but no damage came from the set-piece as Arnison failed to find a team-mate.

Another Gobern run down the middle soon afterwards led to a shooting chance for Bore, who cut in from the right but sent his effort wide of Russell's far post.

The visitors won a further three corners on the right in relatively quick succession as they continued to dominate but after getting a good punch to Eagle's first delivery, Russell remained untroubled from the other two.

At the other end, the hosts had been quiet all half but they threatened to come to life when McReady found the overlapping Arnison on the right, eight minutes before the break. He crossed for Hatch but the striker was penalised for a high foot as he connected with the ball.

Hatch was shown the first yellow card of the match after a tussle with Wood on the Darlington right, before Gobern fired a shot over the bar from 20 yards after linking up with Bore around the edge of the penalty area.

Corner fouled McReady inside the Town half but again, the home side could not create any danger for the Mariners backline from the resulting free kick.

As half-time approached, Kempson was lucky to escape a booking after a challenge on Russell as a Grimsby free kick was sent into the penalty area by Wood. After receiving treatment, the home stopper was fit to continue.

Three minutes of added time were signalled at the end of a half that had been bossed by the men from Blundell Park, albeit without ever really testing Russell in the Darlington goal.

The hosts had offered very little attacking threat of their own but they were given the opportunity to create something when Watt fouled Gary Smith in midfield with seconds remaining. Watt went into the book for the challenge but again, nothing came of the free kick, leaving the scores level as the half-time whistle blew.

Darlo boss Mark Cooper made one change at the interval, sending on Michael Smith in place of Richard Offiong.

Bore forced the first corner after the restart and from it, the Mariners took the lead. Eagle's perfect delivery from the left was powered in by the head of WATT to break the deadlock in front of the travelling supporters from North East Lincolnshire.

A second home substitution was made straight after the goal, with Joe Clarke replacing Josh Gray.

Darlington went out in search of an equaliser but Grimsby remained solid in defence, with Smith missing the target before Hatch was denied by Kempson inside the box.

Smith was becoming an influential figure fore the hosts in midfield and he forced Arthur into a diving save just before the hour, with a low shot from 20 yards.

Charles Ademeno was introduced to the action on 60 minutes in place of Corner as Town looked to step up the tempo and go for a second goal that would all but kill off the game as a contest.

Eagle tried his luck with a curling 25-yarder that Russell had to tip over his bar for a corner and from the set piece, the Mariners kept the ball in the final third, with a series of crosses into the penalty area before the ball was headed away as Kempson looked to pounce.

At the other end, Arthur was still not looking in any danger between the Town sticks, although Michael Smith glanced a header narrowly wide on 65 minutes.

Connell was inches away from doubling the Grimsby lead when he connected with a right-wing cross from Gobern, only to see the ball flash past the far post.

Cummins was shown the yellow card for kicking the ball away after a free kick nwas awarded against Gobern. Again, there was no real trouble for the Town defence from the set piece.

Lee Peacock came on for Eagle for the last 15 minutes of the game, with the Mariners still looking to put the result beyond doubt with a second goal.

Town had been very much on top for the vast majority of the game but their hosts refused to give up, with Clarke sending a 25-yard shot narrowly wide on 77 minutes.

That second Mariners goal almost arrived three minutes later when Gobern did well to beat his man on the right and swing over a cross for Connell but his header was superbly kept out by Russell, who flung himself to his right to tip the ball around the post for a corner.

The Mariners had always looked the more likely to score a second goal but with 10 minutes to go, there was still plenty to do to secure all three points, with the home side continuing to attack in numbers.

A good chance went the way of the hosts on 85 minutes when substitute Chris Senior crossed from the left but Hatch could not keep his header down from 12 yards.

Town were forced to endure an additional four minutes at the end of the regulation 90 as the home side pressed for an elusive equaliser.

That added time would increase after home skipper Ian Miller needed lengthy treatment on an injury, before Senior marginally failed to connect with a low cross from the right when any touch would probably have brought his side level.

Town still had attacking intentions of their own and after Peacock worked an opening inside the box and pulled the ball back, it needed another outstanding save from Russell to deny Connell.

One last push from Darlington resulted in hatch heading over the top from a corner that even Russell had gone forward for.

That proved to be the final chance, leaving the travelling Town fans to acclaim a thoroughly deserved victory that was their side's second in succession on the road.

The Mariners will look to repeat the trick on Saturday, when they travel to Rushden and Diamonds.

Video highlights of the game will be available on Mariners Player on Wednesday.