Swindon Town fell to a frustrating 2-0 away defeat in their final trip of the 23/24 season on Saturday afternoon.
Liam Smith gave the home side the lead with just over 15 minutes left to play, before forward Donovan Wilson doubled the Mariners' lead and gave them the victory with a well-taken finish in the 86th minute.
Town made four changes which were defeated late on Walsall in midweek, with captain Charlie Austin, George McEachran, Udoka Godwin-Malife and youngster Harley Hunt all brought in to start.
There was also a return to matchday action for Sean McGurk who was named on the substitute bench to start this final away game of the 23/24 season.
An early opening fell Town's way in the sixth minute, after the ball was worked nicely down the Swindon right-hand side, and allowed Joel McGregor to cross to the back post, with his ball met by Charlie Austin, who unfortunately guided his header wide of the right-hand post.
Swindon continued to push during the first half and another nearly moment after Williams Kokolo accelerated into the Grimsby penalty area before the full-back drilled a cross along the Mariners' penalty area, but there the home side were able to clear their lines before Town players could pounce in the 25th minute.
Another late chance in the first half came for Swindon, with Nnamdi Ofoborh and George McEachran combining in midfield before the ball through found Paul Glatzel, the in-form forward looked to strike goalwards, but a brave deflection from a Grimsby defender saw the ball fly into the air and into the grateful arms of Jake Eastwood in the 37th minute.
Town's keeper Jack Bycroft was called into action twice late on with a well-adjusted free-kick save from Grimsby's Charles Vernam in the 39th minute before a brave claim from the home side's captain Kieran Green in first-half stoppage time stopped the midfielder and kept the scoreline goalless going into the midway point of the final away game of 23/24.
Half-time: Grimsby 0 Swindon Town 0
There was a chance in the first 10 minutes of the second half after Charlie Austin did well to control a Williams Kokolo cross, which allowed Paul Glatzel to strike, but his volleyed effort was high of the Grimsby goal.
Substitutions were introduced for Town just after the hour, with Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Zach Elbouzedi brought on to look to bring more pace to Swindon's attacking threat.
But it was Grimsby who would have the game's next chance, with Donovan Wilson's close-range effort well-saved by Jack Bycroft to deny the forward one-on-one in the 69th minute.
Nnamdi Ofoborh looked to shoot from range but his effort was unfortunately drilled wide just a minute after the strong save from Jack Bycroft.
Aaron Drinan was brought on with just over 15 minutes left to play to find that Town goal, but it would unfortunately be the home side that found the game's opening goal in the 74th minute.
Full-back Liam Smith drove into the Town penalty area and was frustratingly able to find the back to the far corner to give the Mariners the lead with not long left to play.
Town's afternoon was left to be made all the more frustrating when Donovan Wilson doubled Grimsby's lead with a well-taken finish in the 86th minute.
There was to be one last chance for Swindon to get themselves on the scoresheet this afternoon, with Rushian Hepburn-Murphy driving forward before seeing his effort in second-half stoppage time blocked by the Grimsby defence.
Following this frustrating defeat, Town now looks to their final game of 23/24 with the visit of Morecambe to The County Ground next Saturday.
Grimsby Town: Eastwood, Smith, Green (C) (Khouri 87), Rodgers, Thompson (Bramwell 90), Holohan, (Andrews 72) Vernam (Hume 72), Wood (Ainley 72), Wilson, Mullarkey, Maher
Goals: Smith 74, Wilson 86
Subs not used: Auton, Eisa
Swindon Town: Bycroft (C), Blake-Tracy, McEachran (Drinan 73), Glatzel (Hepburn-Murphy 65), Kokolo, Devoy, Godwin-Malife, Austin (C), McGregor (Elbouzedi 65), Hunt (McCarthy 78), Ofoborh
Subs not used: Evans, McGurk, Aguiar
Attendance: 6,752 (231 away fans)
