YOU make your own luck, or so the maxim goes, but on Saturday Darlington needed a little bit of help from the man in the middle.

Having gone a goal up through Jason St Juste's first goal for the club, David Hodgson's men had to soak up a great deal of pressure from the home side. But when referee Paul Taylor gave a 73rd minute penalty after goalkeeper Sam Russell brought down Michael Reddy, it appeared it might all have been for nought.

Had Martin Gritton's successful spot-kick not been chalked off for apparent encroachment by Reddy, Grimsby, with the crowd behind them and the momentum on their side, may have gone on to snatch all three points.

However, referee Taylor ordered it to be retaken and so when Gritton stepped up for a second time Russell guessed he would aim for the same side and pulled off a fine save.

That miss led to Grimsby losing their discipline and Terry Fleming was ordered off after he received a straight red for foul and abusive language shortly after.

Quakers' centre back Matt Clarke, captain again in the absence of injured duo Craig Liddle and Neil Maddison, was involved in the action from the first minute to the last and he was as relieved as anyone when the referee helped preserve his side's lead.

"Everyone was defending well so when the penalty was awarded you do think 'Oh, this could easy be 1-1 and they may even bounce back and get another one'," he said. "But it was a great save by Sam.

"I knew the player was going to go the same way again and he pulled off a brilliant save.

"When we got that it was a great bit of luck and we normally don't get that so when it happened I had a sneaky feeling we could hold on until the end."

The three points were secured thanks to a fine volley by St Juste but Clarke was as surprised as the Grimsby goalkeeper to see it fly in.

"I could see him shaping up for the volley as it came down and it's funny because most days we do practise them and it's paid off," he said. "He normally misses them all in training but this one ended up being a beauty, a great first goal for him."

St Juste echoed Clarke's sentiments.

"I just had one thing on my mind and it came off," said the midfielder. "It was a fantastic feeling.

"We knew it was going to be tough because obviously they are fighting for the play-offs as well. We knew we would have to hang on and work hard and we did that and came away with the three points. I'll certainly enjoy tonight."

Clarke, meanwhile, said he believed Quakers now had the bit between their teeth as the run-in approached.

"We do have belief," he said. "If we do get into the play-offs at the end of the season it will be on our own merit. You finish where you deserve to finish at the end of the day and we are not certainly not writing off the top three."