BURNLEY boss Stan Ternent has not been alone in tinkering with his formation in recent weeks but his opposite number tomorrow appears to have hit on a successful formula.

For the last three games Grimsby's player manager Paul Groves has adopted a safety first approach with a five man midfield in a 4-5-1 line-up.

When you are battling for your life at the foot of the table the first thing you must do is avoid losing and a run of two wins and a draw is more than sufficient reward to suggest that he will stick with a method that has been tried and tested.

It is a similar style of play to that employed by Ternent to such good affect against Fulham but while the Clarets had Wales international Gareth Taylor as the lone striker, Groves has been relying on the teenage promise of 18-year-old Darren Mansaram.

He has been keeping former Rovers striker Steve Livingstone on the bench and getting support from the midfielders breaking forward.

That system has seen Groves himself and John Oster, about to play the final game of his loan spell from Sunderland, score the only goals that were enough for back to back wins against Watford and Rotherham.

The only threat to Groves naming an unchanged side is the shoulder injury that saw Welsh international Darren Barnard replaced by Stacy Coldicutt. Barnard's place down the left was taken by Stuart Campbell with Coldicutt playing in the middle.

But if the Mariners are to survive the dogfight at the foot of the table, much may depend on the continued good form of Danny Coyne in goal. Like Barnard he has played for Wales and he was a key factor in the club beating the drop last season.

They secured their survival with a 3-1 win against the Clarets in the penultimate game of the season. A repeat performance would go a long way to keeping them up again.