Jolley confident Grimsby will rise to the challenge of tackling in-form Cobblers

Grimsby boss Michael Jolley shakes hands with Cobblers manager Keith Curle ahead of the 2-2 draw between the sides in November

Grimsby Town boss Michael Jolley is backing his players to rise to ‘the challenge’ of taking on in-form Cobblers when the teams meet in Sky Bet League Two on Saturday.

The Mariners have been struggling of late, losing their past three matches, and they were thumped 4-1 at Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday night.

It’s a run of form that has seen Grimsby’s slim hopes of competing for a play-off place disappear, but Jolley insists there is still plenty for his team to play for this season.

They can move to within one point of the 11th-placed Cobblers with a win over Keith Curle’s men at Blundell Park.

Jolley knows that is not going to be easy, but he has faith in his players rising to the task.

“It’s going to be another tough match,” said the Grimsby boss.

“Northampton have won four games in a row, and they’ve got a very experienced manager at this level and he’s got the team playing how he wants them to.

“It’ll be a tough challenge for us, but these are often the kinds of challenges that we like.

“We’ve risen to challenges before this season, so it’s a game we can look forward to back in front of our fans at Blundell Park, and hopefully they can get behind us and we can have a good game.”