Football: MARINERS MISS THE BOAT; FOREST 3 GRIMSBY 1

GRIMSBY boss Lennie Lawrence readily accepted his share of the blame after his side had been flattened by a Forest comeback.

The Mariners looked on their way to victory when on-loan midfielder Stuart Campbell swept them into a 15th-minute lead with Forest barely able to raise a threat.

But it was all change in the second half with Forest capitalising on Grimsby tiring after their third game in a week.

Lawrence admitted: "It caught up with us. And I made a massive mistake in sticking with an unchanged side. We needed fresh legs and we didn't have them. I also lost two players in the first 20 minutes with muscle strains.

"The second half was the worst 45 minutes we have had since December. Yet before half-time, we made life so difficult for Forest."

Grimsby looked to be heading for three priceless points after Campbell had swept home a pass from Steve Livingstone.

But Forest sparked into life when 20-year-old Aussie sub Gareth Edds fired an explosive 55th-minute shot past Danny Coyne and, two minutes later, Christian Edwards headed home from Keith Foy's cross.

David Johnson put the seal on Forest's victory five minutes from time with a simple tap-in for his first in six matches since moving from Ipswich in a pounds 3 million deal.

STAR MAN: Gareth Edds.

His enthusiasm and much-needed goal sparked Forest into life.

NOTTM FOREST: Beasant 6, Hjelde 5 (EDDS 8), Edwards 7, Benali 6, Prutton 5, A Johnson 6, Scimeca 6, Bart-Williams 6, Foy 6, D Johnson 7 (Harewood 5), Freeman 6.

GRIMSBY: Coyne 6, McDermott 6, Enhua 5, Groves 6, Smith 6 (Butterfield 6), Coldicott 7, Willems 6, Donovan 6, Campbell 6, Jeffrey 5, Livingstone 6 (Rowan 6).

MANAGER RATINGS: Platt 6; Lawrence 6.

REFEREE: P Dowd 6.

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