THREE times Eastleigh have played Grimsby Town this season – and three times they have lost.

But Mariners’ boss Paul Hurst knows Richard Hill’s improving side still pose a big threat to Town’s Football League ambitions in tomorrow’s (3.30pm) Conference play-off semi-fina,l second leg at Blundell Park.

Speaking after two top-drawer Nathan Arnold strikes had tipped the pendulum 2-1 in Grimsby’s favour in Thursday’s first leg at the Silverlake, Hurst said: “That’s the sternest test we’ve had against Eastleigh in the three games against them so far and we’ll expect another one on Sunday.”

Town made a lighting start as on-loan Cambridge United striker Arnold stunned the Spitfires with a dipping volley with less than three minutes gone.

But after dousing Grimsby’s early fire, Eastleigh grittily worked their way back into the tie with Yemi Odubade – just back from loan at Woking – making it 1-1 shortly after the hour.

Arnold, though, still had another trick up his sleeve, netting a simply sublime winner.

“It’s only half the job done, but we’ve got the advantage to take back,” said Hurst.

“We’ve got the lead and that’s the main thing. I would like to have played better, but there’s been plenty of times this season when we’ve played well and not got what we deserved.

“Shaun Pearson had a gilt-edged chance before we scored through Nathan Arnold before a better chance fell to Ollie Palmer (who hit the woodwork).

“It was frustrating that we didn’t get ourselves more than one up, but the most important thing in these games is to get the win and that’s what we’ve managed to do.”

Eastleigh boss Richard Hill felt his side should have imposed themselves more after surprise inclusion Odubade had pulled them back into the tie.

The pacy attacker, who had been on loan at Woking since January, made an instant impact getting fouled for the Jai Reason free-kick which led to him nodding the Spitfires back on terms from close range.

“Yemi’s come back and he’s done great,” said Hill.

“But we scored the goal and I just felt we needed another boost in the next five minutes, to make their keeper work more.

“We needed a bit of spark after the goal and, if we’d got that, I think we would have kicked on.”

With his team having won nine of their last 11 games on the road, Hill is far from downbeat ahead of tomorrow’s trek to north-east Lincolnshire.

“The first game is about feeling each other out and the second one now is a cup tie,” he said.

“We’ve got 90 minutes to go to Blundell and score one more goal than Grimsby and, if we can do that, anything could happen.

“We didn’t play as well as we could do (on Thursday). It was a tough tie and we’ve just made it a little bit tougher.

“It was a quick, high-tempo game and that’s what we expected.”

Eastleigh’s top scorer James Constable needed stitches in his foot after coming off worse in a bruising first-half clash, but he got through the entire 90 minutes.

Not so midfielder Craig Stanley who, in the full glare of the BT Sport cameras, was involved in a touchline row with Hill when he was replaced by Brian Howard in the 79th minute.

It remains to be seen if Stanley’s show of petulance will work against him.