Player ratings: Swindon Town 2 Grimsby Town 1

Dan Kemp kept his composure to score the first before playing in Jake Cain to run through and notch the second, Town hung on despite Donovan Wilson pulling a goal back midway through the second half.

So, how did the players fare individually at the County Ground?

GK: Murphy Mahoney – 8

Mahoney has been excellent in most games this season, but he was truly match-winning against Grimsby. The Mariners only had four shots on target, but he made two vital saves to keep Town ahead. There were plenty of top performances, but he was arguably the most pivotal.

RCB: Udoka Godwin-Malife – 7

Another top performance from Swindon’s answer to Beyonce. There were numerous occasions when he read the game perfectly to make an interception and then drove forward and created a dangerous attack. As Michael Flynn said, he is “unstoppable” when he wants to be.

CB: Tom Brewitt – 7

I am not sure there is anyone in the EFL doing fist pumps to the fans better than Brewitt right now. He made several key blocks and tackles and has become the no-nonsense defender that Swindon needed.

Tom Brewitt celebrates with the fans. (Image: Andy Crook)

LCB: Frazer Blake-Tracy – 6

He was turned for the goal, but Blake-Tracy showed his dogged side again. Grimsby applied plenty of pressure late on and he showed his quality and leadership to help get Swindon through it

RWB: Remeao Hutton – 5

Five is more indicative of my expectations of Hutton than anything else. 79 touches is a huge amount for a wing-back and demonstrates that he was heavily involved, but I know that Hutton has looked far more dangerous than this before. His defending, which is often questioned, was very solid.

CM: Saidou Khan – 7

Whatever work Khan did over the summer to become stronger has been hugely beneficial. The Saidou Spin was back out in force again and no Grimsby player looked like they could come close to getting the ball off him.

Saidou Khan holds off Harry Clifton (Image: Andy Crook)

CM: Jake Cain – 6

Most midfielders who have scored three goals in their last three starts would be automatic selections, which says a lot about the quality Town have. When Swindon were on top Cain looked very strong, but he is more of a stick-to-your-position-type defender and I need more to give him higher.

LWB: Tariq Uwakwe – 5

Uwakwe owes Mahoney a drink or two for preventing his dodgy back pass from ending up in the back of the net. Uwakwe was not on the field for the big defensive effort at the end and offered a good outlet on the left, but was not making lots happen himself.

CAM: Dan Kemp – 8

When I say Kemp was everywhere, I mean it. He was dropping in and picking up the ball off the defenders, driving forward, and making runs in behind, he is just a joy to watch when he plays like this. If he did eat McEachran’s lasagna last night, then he might have to rethink his ‘no sauce on gameday’ rule.

ST: Charlie Austin – 6

There were more examples of the telepathic link-up between the front three yesterday, and Austin’s pass for Kemp’s goal was terrific. He used his physicality well in this game and was a big factor in Swindon being able to resist Grimsby’s late attacking intent.

ST: Jake Young – 5

The hold-up play for Kemp’s goal is something we have not necessarily seen before from Young, but it was a very welcome surprise. With Town not at their creative best, Young was a little bit starved for chances and so did not make a huge impact on the game.

Swindon had their penalty claims waived away in the second half (Image: Andy Crook)

Subs:

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy – 5

How he did not win a penalty is truly beyond me. That moment, and a few other runs in behind, was his big contribution on the field as Grimsby had the upper hand after his introduction.

Tyrese Shade – 5

Very unfortunate not to score, although I am convinced the ball went out before Kemp crossed it to him. Being part of a rearguard stand is not something you would normally associate with Shade, but he played his part in earning the three points.

Liam Kinsella - N/A

Harrison Minturn – N/A