League Two Tips: Back Mariners with their tails up

Mariners can keep on Rollin

Grimsby 2.915/8 v Walsall 2.982/1; the draw 3.39/4

Paul Hurst said after a fourth consecutive draw last weekend that his Grimsby Town side could have won all of those games. Managers are not always blessed with objectivity, but the Mariners enhanced the theory right with Tuesday's surprise win at in-form Barrow.

They remain seven points from safety, with a hefty -27 goal difference, but a major plus point is that in recent weeks they have not shipped huge numbers of goals. In six games, they have three clean sheets and five goals against, with five scored.

Key to that perhaps has been Rollin Menayese. Missing for the 2-2 draw at Mansfield - the Mariners came from behind twice, which is another positive - he returned at centre-back to marshall the defence on Tuesday. This gives them a platform, especially with injuries mounting up. Local observers hadn't expected striker James Hanson, once so proficient at Bradford, to be risked on Tuesday.

Young midfielder Luke Spokes provided the bit of quality to win the game and they need to find that spark again, after two goalless draws in their recent home games, to fend off Walsall.

The manager has warned his players not to wave the white flag as the team tries to claw their way off the bottom. He believes the players are listening intently, reacting appropriately.

In contrast to that positive vibe, Saddlers' boss Brian Dutton felt his side were "fortunate" to earn a point at Southend on Tuesday. Against 10 men for much of the second half, they failed to register a shot on target. Dutton emphasised discipline after Hayden White's "needless" red card on Saturday, but felt he had to pull off Josh Gordon and Coalan Lavery at half-time on Tuesday because they were on yellow cards and were becoming frustrated.

Walsall have scored twice in six games. As with Grimsby, games have been tight. Two clean sheets (both nil-nil draws) and four goals against. They have not scored in five of an 11-game winless run, drawing five matches. They could achieve another draw, but perhaps the Mariners' tails are up slightly higher than their opponents.

Reds back to great home run

Crawley 2.466/4 v Port Vale 3.412/5; the draw 3.412/5

Horrified by his team's defending at Barrow last Saturday, where they lost 3-2 late on, I hope John Yems has read one fan's assessment that this could be the best pound-for-pound Crawley team ever. That's quite some statement against the side who left non-league football to slide, almost seamlessly, through League Two to League One at the first attempt a decade ago.

Yems is building momentum in Sussex, certainly. Finding gems like Max Watters, who joined in October and left for Cardiff in January, isn't easily repeated. But aside from that there is evolution. Experienced players such as George Francomb at the back and Tom Nichols up front has given the likes of Jake Hessenthaler and Tom Dallison the chance to progress and flourish.

The relative goal feast at Barrow came after the Reds conceded one goal in four games, securing three 1-0 wins and a 1-1 home draw, rescuing a very late point via a penalty. They need to be on the front foot a bit more and put the likes of Ashley Nadeson into the channels to forge chances or score himself.

This seems the perfect time for Crawley to do just that. Opta stress they are unbeaten in five at home, winnig four. They have conceded one goal. Meanwhile Port Vale are still finding their feet under Darrell Clarke. The visitors have at least turned a winless run of seven under their new boss, failing to score in five of them, around into two straight wins. Devante Rodney has really settled at the club this season, taking his goals tally to 11 in the past two games. He's the first Vale player apart from Tom Pope to score 10 in a season since Marc Richards in 2011-12. Pope waits in the wings having recovered, it seems, from injury.

The boss says of his team that "home truths" are starting to sink in. They are dangerous opponents. However, Crawley have the bigger incentive to win, if they are to maximise any chance of turning 10th spot into a play-off place in the final quarter of the season.

Cambridge must live up to promotion resolve

Carlisle 2.68/5 v Cambridge 3.185/40; the draw 3.412/5

Carlisle might have one of the strongest home records in League Two (one of there clubs to win 10 times at home) but their recent form and predicament leaves the door open for a Cambridge victory.

The Cumbrians surrendered a run of scoring in nine consecutive games when losing at home to a strangely re-energised Leyton Orient on Tuesday. The more important statistic is that they have not kept a clean sheet in 12, which gives any opponent a chance.

It was only recently that Chris Beech was being hailed for a transformation full year as manager (they were under relegation threat when he arrived and after 12 months were in the top three). After one win and three draws in 12 games, just pushing for the play-offs looks doubtful, even if Offrande Zanzala had started to score.

Jon Mellish and few others remain constants in a changing team. Beech did say going in to February that players would be swapped out to manage the heavy workload. However, that might be to their detriment.

Cambridge, by contrast, have 12 points from six and the confidence of a firm grip on second place after Forest Green and Tranmere immediately below them both drew in midweek.

Wes Hoolahan's experience forced the winner against Forest Green last weekend. But it is surely only a matter of time before Paul Mullin, on 23 goals, matches the club record 24 in a season, set in 1985-86.

The U's have been a bit hit and miss away, winning nine but losing seven. Captain Greg Taylor wants the team to "go for it" in every remaining match, pointing to scoring 55 goals (the second highest in League Two) as a strong reason the club has improved so vastly this year. Manager Mark Bonner believes his side have "set the standard" but doesn't want to see any complacency in the run-in. This is a great time to test that resolve and those commitments by winning a third game in a row for the first time since October, emphasise Opta.

Stubborn Stevenage can hold Bluebirds

Stevenage 2.56/4 v Barrow 3.412/5; the draw 3.39/4

In some senses it seems odd to be thinking that Barrow could be held to a draw - something they have not experienced in 14 matches, as Opta remind us (they have won six). On another, the Bluebirds have the even spread of scoring 12 goals and conceded 13 in that time.

Plus, if any team can force them to settle for a point, surely it could be Alex Revell's Stevenage, who have 10 goalless draws this season out of a league high 16 overall. A determination not to lose has been the bedrock of lifting them from the drop zone to mid-table safety.

A fine 3-1 win over Carlisle made it nine unbeaten, Brentford on loan midfielder Arthur Read finally scoring his first goal in 26 games. Luke Norris netted only his second goal since his January switch from Colchester. What makes most sense about Stevenage's probability of blunting Barrow's attack is that they put together a club record six clean sheets in a row before conceding against the Cumbrians.

Most of Barrow's four straight wins were built on clean sheets - until they had to fight hard to beat Crawley late on, 3-2, last Saturday. Rob Kelly was disappointed to follow that up with a 1-0 defeat at Grimsby. The question is can Scott Quigley, who scored so many in non-league last season, prise open a stubborn defence to add to his 10 goals this season? Will new signing Calvin Andrew, once of Crystal Palace, Millwall and Brighton, get the chance to give of his experience as Barrow battle the drop? A point might please Rob Kelly.