Doncaster Rovers overcome Paul Hurst’s struggling Grimsby Town thanks to Joe Ironside’s penalty

Joe Ironside's second-half penalty proved the difference in a match low on quality to put further daylight between Rovers and those sides below them in League Two.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, two teams at the wrong end of the table produced a first-half of football as dull as dishwater.

Both sides had openings they should have done better with, which came a little too easily thanks in part to the lack of quality on display.

Grimsby's Gavan Holohan should have done better with a close-range header in the eighth minute but couldn't keep his effort on target.

Ironside then wasted a brilliant chance to add to his seven goals this season when he fired over unmarked after Tom Nixon had picked him out in the box.

More good work from Nixon earned Doncaster a perfectly positioned free-kick on the edge of the area on the half-hour mark.

Harrison Biggins' attempt was blocked by the wall and fell to George Broadbent, who fired towards goal.

The effort took a deflection, leaving Mariners stopper Harvey Cartwright wrong-footed, and was heading in before Grimsby hacked the ball clear in the nick of time.

Holoman was then played through on goal far too easily, with a single pass wiping out the home defence, presenting him with a golden chance to open the scoring.

He took the shot on first time with Tom Anderson hot on his heels but Louis Jones was equal to the strike.

Grimsby captain Danny Rose sent the ball wide after connecting with a low cross at close range in the first chance of the second half.

Rose almost rewarded the 2,474 travelling fans with the opener minutes later when he produced a superb flick to divert another low cross towards goal.

But Rovers got off the hook when the ball hit the post and trickled across their goal line, with the linesman's flag also raised.

At the other end Ironside headed Jack Senior's cross wide as both sets of fans rallied as the game began to open up.

McCann was able to name Kyle Hurst on the bench after his return from injury and turned to the winger in the 66th minute with a breakthrough still elusive.

The creative influence of last season's breakout star was quickly felt when he was tripped in the box by Holohan after being played through by Ben Close.

Ironside stepped up to take the penalty and fired past Cartwright, who guessed the right way, and into the bottom corner.

Hurst then shot into the side-netting via a deflection following a counter-attack, with Mo Faal missing an absolute sitter from the resultant corner.

Faal somehow headed over from point-blank range after meeting the delivery at the far post.

Owen Bailey was next to come close for the hosts when he smacked the crossbar with a 20-yard strike after meeting a corner kick on the edge of the area.

Doncaster would have been disappointed not to have not scored more come the final whistle.

Both sides registered just one attempt on target all afternoon but it was Rovers who claimed three points without being at their best.

That, you might say, is another marker of their improvement.

Rovers: Louis Jones, Tom Anderson, Luke Molyneux (Harrison Biggins, 21), George Broadbent (Kyle Hurst, 66), Tom Nixon, Owen Bailey, Joe Ironside (Jack Goodman, 88), Jack Senior, Zain Westbrooke, Ben Close ( Joseph Olowu, 88), Mo Faal

Subs: Ian Lawlor, Deji Sotona, Jack Degruchy,

Grimsby Town: Harvey Cartwright, Michee Efete, Harvey Rodgers, Abo Eisa, Gavan Holohan, Harry Clifton, Danny Amos (Rekeil Pyke, 87), Donovan Wilson, Niall Maher, Danny Rose, Kamil Conteh

Subs: Jake Eastwood, Kieran Green, Luke Waterfall, Arthur Ghanoua, Jamie Andrews, Toby Mullarkey

Attendance: 8,746 (2,474 away)