Grimsby Town v Blackburn Rovers - Peter White's preview

WHEN you look at the strikers Blackburn Rovers have at their disposal -- and their scoring records from the past -- it is quite understandable when Ashley Ward describes the shortage of goals at Ewood as "baffling".

But Grimsby Town's need in recent weeks has been even more acute -- drastically more acute.

For, until they grabbed a point-saving equaliser against Manchester City last Saturday, the Mariners had gone six games, or to be more precise a staggering 628 minutes, without finding the back of the net!

And that is not just baffling, more like bizarre.

The same could be said of the source of the goal which finally ended the leanest spell in Grimsby's long history.

For it was 23-year-old midfielder Alan Pouton who eventually saved their blushes with his first goal for the club.

But, in some respects, he was fortunate to be in the team and it was only really an injury to former Rovers striker Steve Livingstone -- these days playing at the back -- which let him in.

Livingstone's absence forced Paul Groves to drop back into defence, creating a gap for Pouton to return in midfield.

Before that, he had enjoyed a successful loan spell at Blundell Park, then the ex-York City man was signed for £150,000 but promptly went straight off the boil losing his place. After volleying last Saturday's drought-breaking goal, however, he is in danger of attaining cult status and clearly relished his long-awaited moment of glory as he almost dashed into the stands to celebrate with the ecstatic fans.

"I am obviously delighted to get my first goal for the club, it's been a long time coming," said Pouton, who will hope it proves to be the start of bigger things for him.

"And I enjoyed the goal celebrations. But perhaps I got a bit carried away!

"I have told the manager I will always do my best and I'll do my best to give him a selection problem.

"But I'm not really bothered who scores as long as we are doing well."

Grimsby boss Alan Buckley, however, added a touch of realism to prevent Pouton getting carried away by his moment of glory. "It's taken Alan Pouton a long time to adjust. He was used to playing for York City and now he's playing against Manchester City," he said.

"He's got a lot to offer but, in fact, if we had a fully-fit squad it would be hard for him to get into the team."

It is perhaps not surprising that goals have been at something of a premium for these two sides. When they met at Ewood earlier in the season both strikes in a 1-1 draw came from the penalty spot!

Failure to score more has denied Rovers the chance to climb into the play-offs and a similar problem has kept Grimsby hovering dangerously around the relegation zone.

But both teams now seem certain to be meeting again at this level next season.

Hopefully, tomorrow's clash will serve as a tasty appetiser for future meetings -- though goals, clearly, cannot be guaranteed.