Grimsby eased their relegation worries with this hard-fought 1-0 victory over play-off chasing Wolves.

Daryl Clare's first-half strike proved decisive, though Wolves had their chances to win the game.

Ade Akinbiyi was the chief culprit. The man who scored a hat-trick in the corresponding home fixture could not repeat the act at Blundell Park as he spurned a succession of chances.

But the game was marred by an ugly incident involving Wolves' defender Kevin Muscat, who appeared to punch Grimsby's on-loan Chelsea striker, Mark Nicholls, in the back - an incident which went unpunished as no officials saw it.

Around a dozen players were involved in a melee afterwards and referee Barry Knight read the riot act to both captains, Paul Groves and Keith Curle.

The incident came in the 24th minute, six minutes after Clare had put Grimsby ahead.

The striker latched onto a rebound in the box and struck a fine right-foot volley which flew into the top corner.

Wolves had the ball in the net through Neil Emblen but Knight ruled it out as the corner from Darren Bazeley had drifted in and out of play.

Then Akinbiyi bundled into keeper Danny Coyne and tucked the loose ball home, only for the goal to be disallowed for a push.

Akinbiyi should have done better just before half time when he outpaced the defence and won a challenge with Coyne - only for the ball to rebound off his shin into the side netting.

Coyne knew little about Akinbiyi's 59th-minute header from Scott Taylor's cross which hit the keeper and went for a corner.

The Nigerian should have scored in the 70th minute when, after Coyne had saved from the impressive Emblen, the striker side-footed wide of the empty net.

Grimsby could have rubbed salt into the wasteful visitors' wounds in the closing stages when David Smith fired goalwards - but Michael Oakes pulled off a fine save.

Teams:

Grimsby: Coyne, McDermott, Lever, Groves, Gallimore, Donovan, Coldicott, Pouton, D. Smith, Nicholls (Black 66), Clare.

Subs Not Used: Buckley, Butterfield, Chapman, Croudson.

Booked: Nicholls.

Goals: Clare 18.

Wolverhampton: Oakes, Muscat, Curle, Pollet, Naylor, Bazeley, Sedgley, Emblen, Simpson (Branch 63), Akinbiyi, Taylor.

Subs Not Used: Robinson, Flo, Tudor, Petterson.

Booked: Curle, Pollet, Taylor.

Att: 5,575

Ref: B Knight (Orpington).