Leicester kept the pressure on Portsmouth at the top of Nationwide Division One as goals from Trevor Benjamin and Callum Davidson earned the Foxes three fully-deserved points at the Walkers Stadium.

Micky Adams' men were well worth the victory after dominating the contest from start to finish against a Grimsby side who remain stuck in the relegation places.

But the Foxes were guilty of squandering a host of gilt-edged chances as a combination of wayward finishing and superb goalkeeping from Danny Coyne kept the home side at bay until the 61st minute.

Benjamin had several good opportunities to open the scoring before latching onto Jamie Scowcroft with a fine header to claim his sixth goal of the season.

And Davidson's instinctive strike after 71 minutes confirmed Leicester's superiority over the Mariners as their seemingly inevitable march back into the Premiership remains on course.

Predictably, the home side began with purpose and Benjamin nearly earned his side the advantage after just three minutes when his spectacular overhead kick went just over the crossbar following Jordan Stewart's precise delivery.

However, Grimsby - who are unbeaten in four games - proved difficult to break down as Paul Groves' men were content to defend deeply and counter-attack.

And that tactic nearly gave the Mariners a shock lead when a fine ball from Stuart Campbell found striker Darren Mansaram, whose header was destined for the top corner of the net prior to being well blocked by the onrushing Gerry Taggart.

But Mansaram's effort was one of Grimsby's rare forays out of their own half as Benjamin wasted the chance of the first half when he somehow missed the target from two yards after a fine flick-on from Matt Elliott.

The second half began in similar vein as Leicester tried to break Grimsby's resolve with a period of incessant pressure.

Benjamin tried to make amends for his earlier miss with a superb left-footed drive from 18 yards but Danny Coyne was equal to it and made a stunning finger-tip save to deflect the ball around his left post.

Benjamin had finally found his range, and shortly afterwards Coyne could nothing as the 24-year-old marksman headed Leicester into the lead.

Jamie Scowcroft did superbly to keep the ball from going out into touch and flighted over a pinpoint delivery on the right flank. Benjamin timed his run to perfection and met the ball with a firm header that nestled low into the back of the net.

Grimsby were forced to come out of their shell in search of an equaliser, but 10 minutes later it was all over as Davidson extended his side's advantage.

Stewart's long-range strike was parried by Coyne, but Davidson was on hand to pick up the pieces to sweep the ball into top left-hand corner and help earn his side a fourth consecutive victory.

Teams

Leicester: Walker, Impey (O'Grady 90), Elliott, Taggart, Rogers, Summerbee (Sinclair 63), Izzet, Davidson, Stewart, Scowcroft, Benjamin (Wright 85).

Subs Not Used: Flowers, Heath.

Booked: Rogers.

Goals: Benjamin 61, Davidson 71.

Grimsby: Coyne, McDermott, Ford, Santos, Gallimore, Campbell, Groves (Boulding 73), Bolder (Cooke 81), Richard Hughes, Keane, Mansaram (Livingstone 80).

Subs Not Used: Allaway, Chettle.

Booked: Richard Hughes, Keane.

Att: 31,014

Ref: D Crick (Surrey).