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It was cruel on the Mariners, who dominated the match from start to finish, getting forward in numbers and creating several good chances, but they could not get the ball past Darlington keeper Sam Russell.
He occasionally spilled the ball but made some good saves and showed two sides of his ability in a vital 72nd minute incident that turned the game.
The keeper brought down Grimsby striker Michael Reddy in full flight and some referees might have shown him a straight red card.
But the colour was yellow and, although the keeper was well beaten by striker Martin Gritton's penalty, a retake was ordered for encroaching. This time the keeper redeemed himself with a good save.
But the drama was far from over with Grimsby's Terry Fleming talking himself into a red card from the referee after initially being booked in for a foul.
Grimsby made light being a man short and poured forward in numbers as the game ran over into six minutes of added time.
This was a vital win for Darlington to enhance their play off prospects while it was their third successive win and only their fifth at Blundell Park, which has never been the happiest of grounds for them.
It meant they completed their league double over the Mariners despite being comprehensively outplayed in both matches.