County 'confident' of ending winless run on road - Brown

Assistant manager optimistic ahead of trip to Exeter City following midweek cup win

Grimsby Town are "confident" of ending their winless run on the road when they travel to Exeter City on Saturday.

The Mariners have not won away from home in the league since August, but they boosted their confidence with a 2-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon in the Papa John's Trophy on Tuesday night.

Assistant manager Paul Brown believes that performance can be the catalyst for a change in fortunes on the road.

"We're confident going into Saturday's game," Brown said. "We know it's going to be a tough game, but we're in a good place at the moment and we're confident we can go there and get a result."

Grimsby have lost their last four away games in the league, but they have been competitive in all of those matches.

They were unlucky to lose 1-0 at Stevenage last weekend, and they also deserved at least a point from their games at Sutton United and Colchester United.

Brown believes that the Mariners are now starting to find their feet in League Two following their promotion from the National League last season.

"It's a tough league, but we're starting to find our feet now," Brown said. "We're learning all the time and we're getting better with each game."

Grimsby will be without the suspended Brendan Kiernan for the trip to Exeter, but they will be boosted by the return of Harry Clifton from injury.

Clifton has been out for the last two months with a hamstring injury, but he is now back in full training and available for selection.

Brown is confident that Clifton can make a big impact for the Mariners in the second half of the season.

"Harry is a very good player and he's going to be a big asset for us in the second half of the season," Brown said. "He's a great goalscorer and he's also very creative. He's going to be a big threat to opposition defences."