Wolves appear determined to make their journey towards the promised land of the Premiership a tortuous one after red-card villain Kevin Muscat cost Dave Jones' side a precious point.

Australia international right-back Muscat was deservedly sent off nine minutes into the second half for a reckless elbow on Michael Boulding which will see him miss three matches of Wolves' promotion run-in.

It proved pivotal as relegation-threatened Grimsby stole three priceless points in their battle to avoid the drop, with Andy Todd's 80th-minute header lifting Town out of the bottom three.

Wolves clearly have a case of the jitters as they are making hard work of winning promotion to the top flight, which is so long overdue for a club of their size and stature.

On the back of six successive league victories at Molineux, and with Grimsby losing three of their last five matches away from home, there appeared only one outcome prior to kick off.

But it is now two points from their last three matches for the midlands side as their previous two games saw them come away from Nottingham Forest and Birmingham with 2-2 draws.

The gap to bitter Black Country rivals West Brom is becoming less comfortable by the week, while the Baggies also have the far easier run-in to a campaign which could yet go down to the wire.

Even after Muscat's dismissal, Wolves enjoyed the majority of possession, but they were restricted to a handful of chances by the battling Mariners who will gain heart from such a dogged display.

Nathan Blake scuffed an 18th-minute shot after being set up by Mohamed Camara and Dean Sturridge, who should later have taken his tally to 19 for the season 10 minutes before the break.

But despite a delightful one-two with Alex Rae inside the area, the in-form striker fired a left-foot shot inches wide, with a similar distance denying Shaun Newton in the 65th minute.

Newton's 60-yard run from inside his own half and past three Town players was the highlight of the game for Wolves, but there was no breathtaking finish as his left-foot shot flashed narrowly past Danny Coyne's right-hand post.

With just 10 minutes remaining, Grimsby then clinched an unlikely victory with Todd heading home a Danny Butterfield corner beyond Michael Oakes from eight yards.

It was Town's 14th away goal in the league this season - by far the worst record in Division One - underlining just why player-boss Paul Groves is auctioning his club car in a bid to raise money for a new striker.

A Mercedes E320 Elegance, with 76,000 miles on the clock and with two previous careful owners in former managers Lennie Lawrence and Alan Buckley, is up for grabs to the highest bidder.

Groves is hoping to raise £20,000 from the auction currently being conducted on the internet, with the money then helping to purchase a new forward prior to deadline day in a bid to keep Grimsby in the First Division.

Bradley Allen had two superb chances in the first half which he if he had taken either would have made the scoreline more emphatic and embarrassing for Wolves.

But Allen first fired a left-foot drive at Oakes, and then with only the keeper to beat after pouncing on a loose ball, could only drill his 15-yard shot inches beyond the woodwork.

The reaction of the Wolves fans at the final whistle said it all as a chorus of boos echoed around the ground, and it would seem as if many fingernails are likely to be bitten between now and the end of the season.

Teams:

Wolverhampton: Oakes, Muscat, Lescott, Butler, Camara, Newton, Andrews (Ndah 82), Rae, Kennedy (Cameron 75), Blake, Sturridge (Miller 72).

Subs Not Used: Pollet, Murray.

Sent Off: Muscat (54).

Grimsby: Coyne, McDermott, Todd, Groves, Gallimore, Butterfield, Pouton, Coldicott (Burnett 71), Campbell, Allen (Jevons 90), Boulding.

Subs Not Used: Ford, Croudson, Rowan.

Booked: Groves.

Goals: Todd 79.

Att: 25,967

Ref: P Richards (Preston).