After losing their last four matches in all competitions, Grimsby Town will be hoping for a change of fortunes when they play host to Halifax Town on Monday.
The home side enter the fixture in 10th position, while Halifax are battling for promotion as they head into Monday's contest in second place.
Match preview
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Grimbsy will return to action for the first time since December 18, and the hosts will try to put their last performance behind them on Monday.
That is because their last outing resulted in a demoralising 4-0 defeat in the FA Trophy away to Stockport County, and to make matters worse, it represented Grimsby's fourth consecutive loss in all competitions.
Although, having played three of their last four competitive fixtures away from home, Grimsby will be relieved that they start the new year with a game on home soil.
In fact, the Mariners have done their best work this season at Blundell Park, collecting seven wins from their nine home league matches.
Their defence has been particularly impressive on home turf, with Grimbsy conceding just three goals in their previous seven home encounters, and their backline will need to be at their best on Monday if the Mariners are to take points off promotion-chasing Halifax Town.
As for the visitors, they are embroiled in a fierce promotion battle, that sees Halifax enter Monday's contest three points behind league leaders Chesterfield.
In fact, the Shaymen faced their promotion rivals in their most recent fixture, and for the majority of the encounter, it looked as though Halifax would claim all three points after Matt Warburton had opened the scoring in the 18th minute.
However, Chesterfield equalised in the 85th minute through Jack Clarke to snatch a point, and in the process, they prevented Halifax from going top of the National League.
Despite the disappointment of conceding late against Chesterfield, Pete Wild will be proud of a side that has lost just twice in their last 16 league games.
It is that sort of form that has resulted in Halifax fighting it out at the top of the table, and after avoiding defeat in their previous five league away games, Monday's visitors will believe that they can collect at least a point at Blundell Park.
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Team News
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Grimbsy will have to cope without the services of John McAtee and Lenell John-Lewis, with the duo missing Monday's encounter due to suspension.
After using a back three against Chesterfield, Hurst could utilise the same backline on Monday, with Luke Waterfall, David Longe-King and Shaun Pearson set to line up in defence.
Max Crocombe has started the last two league games for Grimsby, and the goalkeeper is expected to start once again on Monday.
As for the visitors, Wild could name an unchanged side for the trip to Grimsby.
Warburton will pose a goal threat from midfield, with the 29-year-old looking to score in his fourth consecutive league game.
Meanwhile, Billy Waters has top-scored for the visitors in the league this term, and he will be aiming to add to his 11-goal tally when he partners Jordan Slew upfront.
Grimsby Town possible starting lineup:
Crocombe; Waterfall, Longe-King, Pearson; Efete, Clifton, Fox, Coke, Crookes; Bell, Taylor
Halifax Town possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Maher, Bradbury, Senior; Warren, Green, Warburton, Spence, Gilmour; Waters, Slew
We say: Grimsby Town 1-1 Halifax Town
Grimsby have been impressive at home this season, but Halifax have fared well on the road with only two away league defeats to their name this term, and we think that the visitors have enough quality to hold their hosts to a draw.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Grimsby Town win with a probability of 41.58%. A win for Halifax Town had a probability of 31.27% and a draw had a probability of 27.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Grimsby Town win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.5%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.56%) and 2-0 (7.66%). The likeliest Halifax Town win was 0-1 (9.65%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.85%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.9% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a 1-1 draw for this match.
