Grimsby Town could be supplanted by Newport County in the League Two table when both sides do battle at Blundell Park on Monday.
Neither side is having a good time, with Grimsby falling to a 2-0 defeat at Carlisle United on Saturday, while Newport were beaten 3-1 by Salford City.
Match preview
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Just when Paul Hurst thought his side were turning the corner with a succession of draws amid a three-game unbeaten run, the Mariners were defeated at Carlisle on Saturday.
Grimsby had picked up five points from an available nine in their last three games, a positive for the North East Lincolnshire side that lost three games in four before the mini run without defeat.
With the League Two campaign already past its halfway point, Hurst must wonder what the season has in store, owing to his side's ostensible safety from a relegation fight but the minimal chance of making the playoffs.
The 17th-placed Mariners are 12 points clear of Crawley Town in 26th, while they are 17 points and 10 places behind Stockport County in seventh.
That said, Hurst's team have played three games fewer than Stockport and have four games in hand, but their inconsistent results mean they might have to make do with a mid-table finish.
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Grimsby welcome Newport to Blundell Park in a rescheduled encounter that was moved from January due to the Mariners' progression in the FA Cup, looking to prevent the latter from supplanting them in the table.
The Exiles have admittedly played two games more than Tuesday's opponents but are more or less also fighting for a mid-table finish in the campaign's second half.
Perhaps Graham Coughlan's team could have aspired for more, with a five-game unbeaten run in February giving fans of the Welsh outfit reason to believe a shot at a playoff position was achievable.
That sequence saw Newport secure three wins, and those 11 points were commendable as they were accrued after a six-game winless run for the Exiles.
While Tuesday's game comes after Saturday's 3-1 loss at Salford, Coughlan's players ought to keep their chins up, evidenced by a decent away record that has seen them lose only two of their last 10 matches on the road.
The Welsh side have the 12th-best away record in the division, and that inclination to produce stronger performances on their travels gives them a chance of claiming a positive result at Grimsby.
Team News
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Hurst made a plethora of alterations to the side that featured in the FA Cup success at Southampton, with seven players that started against Saints uninvolved from the off on Saturday.
Luke Waterfall and Josh Emmanuel are expected to return to the lineup at centre-back and right wing-back, respectively, while cup hero Gavan Holohan should be reinstated in central midfield.
Grimsby are expected to lineup in a 3-4-3.
Coughlan is not expected to change much when Newport travel to North East Lincolnshire, with James Clarke, Priestley Farquharson and Mickey Demetriou likely to start in the back three in front of Joe Day.
Offrande Zanzala was replaced in the 2-0 loss against Sutton United and was uninvolved in Saturday's loss at Salford.
The visiting side are expected to utilise a 3-5-2.
Grimsby Town possible starting lineup:
Crocombe; Efete, Waterfall, Maher; Emmanuel, Holohan, Hunt, Driscoll-Glennon; McAtee, Lloyd, Clifton
Newport County possible starting lineup:
Day; Clarke, Farquharson, Demetriou; Norwan, Baker, Bennett, Charsley, Lewis; McNeill, Bogle
We say: Grimsby Town 1-1 Newport County
Seven of Grimsby's 15 home games at Blundell Park have finished in stalemates, with their games against Harrogate Town and Leyton Orient ending goalless and 2-2, respectively, while Newport played out to draws in five of their last 10 games on the road.
A tie with both teams finding the back of the net appears to be in the offing.
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