Grimsby Town enhanced their promotion chances when they completed a league double over Bromley at Hayes Lane on Tuesday evening with a 2-1 victory.

Having recorded a 4-1 victory in their home fixture in August, they maintained their challenge in the National League division and have games in hand on the two clubs above them.

Bromley were looking to end a poor run of results and get interim boss Neil Smith off to a winning start in his first game in charge since the departure of Mark Goldberg.

An early Grimsby corner led to Bromley’s goalkeeper, Alan Julian, reacting sharply to palm Nathan Arnold’s shot around the post.

But the hosts opened the scoring on six minutes when Moses Emmanuel’s pinpoint cross was headed home at the far post by Sean Francis.

Grimsby took a little time to recover from going behind, and Adam Cunnington was denied by Town’s goalkeeper, James McKeown, on 24 minutes when his header was held underneath the crossbar.

However, the visitors upped the tempo, and for the remainder of the half Bromley were on the back foot as Grimsby forced a series of corner kicks and near misses.

They drew level on 32 minutes when Joe Anderson was caught out of position and missed his tackle to allow Arnold to shoot.

His shot was blocked straight back to Jon Nolan, who gave Julian no chance as he blasted home the loose ball from 20 yards.

Padraig Amond wasted a good chance, before Julian denied the league’s leading scorer by palming away his shot on the turn; and Andy Monkhouse saw his effort come back off the upright as the half-time whistle loomed.

The second half was a scrappy affair, with neither side able to create any clear cut chances early on.

Ben May, who had replaced the injured Cunnington at the interval, blazed over from 10 yards following a cross from Allassani, and the substitute just failed to touch home at the far post from Adam Coombe’s corner kick.

Josh Gowling shot wide from a good position, and Amond saw his shot blocked before the visitors gained the three points with the winning goal with six minutes remaining.

Monkhouse was unnecessarily fouled by Paul Rodgers on the edge of the penalty area, for which he was yellow carded, and from Arnold’s resultant free-kick the ball found its way to substitute Jon-Paul Pitman, who sent it past Julian.

Bromley nearly snatched a point in the last minute when May’s header was punched off the line by the falling McKeown, but Grimsby held on for the victory.

Bromley: Julian, Rodgers, Anderson, Fuseini, Francis, Holland, Minshull, Coombes (Goldberg, 90), Cunnington (May, 46), Emmanuel, Allassani (Wall, 66), SUBs (not used): Tumwa, Swaine.

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