Overview

• Bristol Rovers won 1-0 at Blundell Park with a first-half volley from Macauley Southam-Hales after a corner was cleared to the edge of the box.
• Grimsby Town, coming off a midweek Carabao Cup penalty shootout win over Manchester United, rotated their lineup and struggled to create clear chances.
• Reece Staunton hit the post with a first-half free-kick and a late Grimsby effort was blocked, while Luke Southwood dealt comfortably with shots on target.
• The result secured the third consecutive league clean sheet that Clarke set as a target in the build-up, underlining Rovers’ improvement after an early stumble.
• Rovers’ first-choice goalkeeper Luke Southwood has been called up by Northern Ireland and is expected to be unavailable for next weekend’s match at Newport County.