Matt puts gloss on it

Cornwall 60 - Dunn 35, Berkovic 39, Jansen 58, 86

MATT Jansen may have earned his team-mates a trip to the chippy after his deadly double crowned an amazing goal-feast at rain-lashed Blundell Park.

But it was Bolton boss Sam Allardyce and his Wanderers squad who were ultimately left feeling as though they'd had their chips on a night when rampant Rovers put one foot firmly in the Premiership.

Graeme Souness's promotion-chasers opened up a yawning four-point gap over their rivals from the Reebok after Jansen served up another mouthwatering performance in front of the Sky TV cameras.

But it was the manner in which Grimsby contributed to their own downfall which Allardyce and Co will have found so hard to stomach.

Desperate for a win to ease their relegation worries, Lennie Lawrence's plucky Mariners had called all the shots in an anxious opening half hour before keeper Danny Coyne somehow let an innocuous-looking shot from David Dunn squirm through his hands.

Eyal Berkovic then piled on the misery with an exquisite header, when the Mariners defence was all at sea, before Jansen gobbled up two second half chances to earn his team-mates their tasty treat.

"We were told if we got a result tonight then we could have fish and chips on the way back so it looks like the gaffer's going to be broke after this -- but I think we earned it," said a jubilant Jansen.

"We knew what we had to do and getting those two goals in the first half settled us down.

"Then we got the third and relaxed a bit which let them back into the game.

"But we finally got the fourth which killed them off and it turned out to be a great night for us."

After Saturday's disappointing 0-0 draw at Molineux, the pressure was on Rovers to seize the initiative in the scramble for second spot.

But Souness has never been one to shy away from a fight and his brave decision to recall Berkovic to his starting line-up turned out to be a masterstroke.

The Mariners certainly did their best to make him feel welcome by belting out a rousing rendition of 'Jerusalem' over the public address system before kick-off.

And the little Israeli responded with his best performance yet in a blue and white shirt, caressing the ball across the rain-sodden turf with radar-like precision.

Berkovic was at the hub of everything as Rovers ran Grimsby ragged courtesy of some slick passing and movement in midfield during two devastating spells either side of half-time. But there were other heroes, too.

Craig Short and Henning Berg were pillars of strength once again at the back against the physical threat of former Rover Steve Livingstone.

Garry Flitcroft worked like a Trojan in midfield to create the platform for Berkovic and Dunn to wreak havoc pouring forward.

And the industrious Damien Johnson ran himself into the ground down the right after getting the nod over Keith Gillespie.

That work ethic underpinned another impressive team performance but Souness barely afforded himself a smile after the final whistle.

"We were playing against a team who were fighting for their lives and they never gave it up," said Souness.

"But we had some very performances, we had some people who worked extremely hard, and they showed they have some real quality about them as well which is why it ended up finishing 4-1.

"So it's been a good night for us but nothing more or nothing less.

"Nothing has been decided although this, obviously, puts us in a stronger position."

Rovers had shown few signs of the goal feast to follow in a nervy opening half hour.

Brad Friedel was called on to make saves from both Livingstone and Tony Gallimore before John McDermott then saw his goalbound effort deflected over as Grimsby made a lively start.

However, once the visitors weathered that initial storm, Berkovic then came into his own.

Craig Hignett fired straight at Coyne after clever prompting from the little Israeli.

But the Grimsby keeper was then left looking red-faced in the 35th minute when he allowed a shot from Dunn to creep inside his left-hand post.

If that was a gift then Rovers doubled their advantage with a real collector's item four minutes.

Johnson picked out Berkovic with a peach of a cross from the right and the pint-sized playmaker steered a free header into the bottom corner.

That double-whammy seemed to shatter Grimsby's spirit and Rovers went in search of a killer third after the break.

Coyne saved from both Berkovic and Mark Hughes before Jansen appeared to have wrapped things up on 58 minutes, neatly tucking away a crisp left-foot finish after a Johnson pass had sprung the offside trap.

But the Mariners weren't finished as Luke Cornwall pounced to pull one back within two minutes after a neat nod down from Livingstone.

Suddenly, Rovers suffered a bout of the jitters and an injury to Craig Short did nothing for Souness's blood pressure.

Thankfully, Jansen finally eased the nerves with four minutes left, sliding home his second of the night at the far post after a raking cross from substitute Marcus Bent.

That sparked wild scenes of joy in the visitors end -- and the realisation that Rovers could soon have bigger fish to fry.