It wasn't pretty but that was hardly the point.

Needing a draw to survive, Grimsby managed more, skipper Paul Groves sending champions Fulham spinning to their fifth defeat of the season with his 27th-minute winner at Blundell Park.

Last-day deciders stir the soul more than any other day on the fixture calendar and by far the Mariners' biggest crowd of the season arrived in a state of quiet optimism but overt pessimism.

They left jubilant, First Division status preserved for another year thanks to the Trojan efforts of Groves, who not only shackled a strike-force which will cause problems in the top flight next term, but steered home the fourth - and most important - goal of his campaign.

Twenty-six nervous minutes had elapsed when Groves wandered forward to support a Grimsby attacking move.

Steve Livingstone took possession with his back to goal on the edge of the box, spotted his captain lurking with intent and rolled a precise pass which Groves dispatched with the minimum of fuss.

It was no less than Grimsby deserved for their wholehearted endeavour and as the final whistle blew, the cheers swept out into the nearby North Sea on a tidal wave of emotion.

Cleethorpes beach must be about as far removed from Monaco as Jean Tigana could possibly imagine and his all-conquering team appeared to be suffering from culture shock in the opening stages.

Given their perilous plight, it was no surprise to see Grimsby start with determination and aggression, although Tony Gallimore took the forceful tactics a step too far on two occasions within the first seven minutes and was promptly booked.

Grimsby boss Lennie Lawrence is experienced enough to know that trying to win a football match against the west London aristocrats would probably be an impossible job for his team.

So, sticking to the strengths of hard work and desire, the home side instead tried to harry their opponents into errors and hope that with the title long since won, thoughts of summer and the Premiership would take over.

They had two scares, Luis Boa Morte firing marginally wide and Louis Saha foiled by an excellent block from Danny Coyne, but generally the Fulham strikeforce were kept at arms length.

Livingstone was proving to be the Grimsby danger man, swivelling inside the box after controlling John McDermott's cross and shaving the post with his instant strike.

Groves had already proved his worth at the back before advancing forward to grab the all-important opener, Marcus Hahnemann unsighted as the ball flashed through a crowded box and into the corner.

Clearly unhappy about his team's first-half efforts, Tigana implored them to attack after the interval, a subdued Sean Davis bringing Coyne's first save of the second period within 60 seconds of the restart.

Coyne was in for a busier second 45 minutes, especially after another of Fulham's feared front-line, Barry Hayles, took the field when Andrejs Stolcers was withdrawn.

Hayles bobbled a near post shot just wide after a sustained period of pressure from the visitors and a curling Davis free-kick was saved by Coyne, a series of timely interceptions and blocked tackles denying Fulham any clearer opportunities.

Scores from elsewhere were reverberating around the ground but Menno Willems should have released any remaining tension 19 minutes from time, only to twice allow Andy Melville to block when he had found space on the edge of the area.

In the end though, it did not matter.

Teams:

Grimsby Coyne, McDermott, Gallimore, Raven, Groves, Butterfield, Donovan, Livingstone, Pouton, Campbell (David Smith 82), Willems (Burnett 74).

Subs Not Used: Hyldgaard, Jeffrey, Allen.

Booked: Gallimore.

Goals: Groves 27.

Fulham Hahnemann, Finnan, Melville, Goma, Phelan, Goldbaek (Betsy 65), Clark, Davis, Stolcers (Hayles 56), Boa Morte, Saha.

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Symons, Trollope.

Booked: Boa Morte.

Att: 8,706

Ref: P Rejer (Tipton).