Darlo came back from two goals down to win 3-2 thanks to the reunited strikeforce of Pawel Abbott and Tommy Wright.
For various reasons the pair haven't played together much since Christmas, but they struck with a vengeance to end Grimsby's eleven game unbeaten away run, and keep us hot on the heels of third placed Hereford.
They changed the atmosphere in the Arena from despair to high excitement after Grimsby struck twice in the space of a minute around the half hour mark. Martin Butler squeezed the ball home from a tight angle on the corner of the six yard box to put Grimsby into the lead on 29 minutes, then a minute later he sidestepped Ian Miller and fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Just as the gloom was descending, Pav sparked Darlo's revival. Ben Parker played the ball into the left side of the Grimsby penalty area, where Tommy Wright controlled it and laid it off perfectly for Abbott to cheekily lob the keeper from just inside the corner of the box - possibly the main contender for Darlo's goal of the season.
Darlo then moved up a gear. Steve Foster hit the post Abbott went close twice before he levelled just on the stroke of half time, when the ball rebounded off Jason Kennedy for him to sidefoot home from six yards.
The second half started with two Darlo penalty appeals for fouls on Wright and Neil Austin turned down by referee Anthony Taylor, while David Stockdale pulled off a good stop from Danny Boshell when the Grimsby midfielder was clean through. Grimsby's Paul Bolland also hit the post from a pass by Darlo old boy Tom Newey.
But the goal that Darlo needed came after 64 minutes. Parker was again involved, with a ball into the box for Steve Foster, playing with a broken bone in his wrist, to help on to Tommy Wright, who turned quickly and hit a left foot shot into the bottom corner of the net for his 14th goal of the season.
Quakers could have had more as they kept the pressure on. Neil Austin was harshly booked when he went down in the box after playing a one-two with Abbott, while Stockdale kept the three points intact right at the end when he blocked a low shot by James Hunt. Darlo haven't lost to Grimsby now in their last twelve league and cup meetings.
Manager Dave Penney said: "Pav's first goal was top quality, although we wondered at that point how we'd managed to go two goals down. The lads showed plenty of character and fought back well, and they were lifted by the support that came from the crowd."
Darlington: Stockdale, Austin, Foster, Miller, Cummins (sub Valentine 80), Purdie, Parker, Joachim, Abbott (sub Blundell 84), Wright (sub Ndumbu-Nsungu 84), Kennedy.
Subs Not Used: Liversedge, Hodge.
Grimsby: Barnes, Clarke, Newey, Hunt, Atkinson (sub Toner 80), Fenton, Till, Bolland, Boshell (sub Bore 67), Butler, Bennett (sub Whittle 46).
Subs Not Used: Montgomery, Taylor.
Referee; Mr A Taylor (Greater Manchester)
Ray Simpson
Freelance Journalist
