Southend United 9/4 to beat Grimsby Town in Saturday’s League Two contest

Competition: League Two

Market: Southend United win

Odds: 9/4 @ 888sport

In what is a real relegation six-pointer at the foot of the League Two table, a resurging Southend will make the trip to Blundell Park on Saturday afternoon.

Starting with the hosts, after turning to former boss Paul Hurst last month, the 46-year-old will be fully aware that he has quite the rebuilding job on his hands at Blundell Park. In the midst of what is becoming a growing crisis in Lincolnshire, Grimsby put in another hugely worrying display last weekend. Eventually blown away by what was a 3-0 drumming at the hands of Port Vale, the Mariners have fallen into the drop zone and are suddenly seen as a leading relegation contender. Managing to muster just a single League Two point in any of their last five appearances, Grimsby have also recorded just a single victory across any competition since the end of November. With a growing reputation for their continued issues at the back, they should also be worried by their most recent meeting against Saturday’s guests. When they made the trip to Roots Hall last month, the Mariners suffered a 3-1 defeat and could face another stern test this weekend.

As for the visitors, while Grimsby might have the feel of a club in freefall, the mood in Southend’s camp should be at a season-high. Really managing to breathe life into their campaign and making a string of improvements since appointing new boss Mark Molesley, the Shrimpers now find themselves within striking distance of finding a route out of the drop zone. While they might still find themselves sat at the foot of the table, they managed to pick up what was a much-needed three points last weekend. Coming past League Two debutants Barrow on home soil in a contest that was billed as a must-win showdown in Essex, Southend have lost just one of their last seven matchups across all formats, a run that stems back to the end of November. Landing that thumping 3-1 win when they faced off against Grimsby last month, it is worth backing a similar outcome this weekend.

Bet: Southend United 9/4 to beat Grimsby Town in Saturday’s League Two contest @ 888sport