MITCH Rose ended Swindon Town’s unbeaten run with a late strike to hand Grimsby Town all three points from an entertaining encounter at Blundell Park.

Rose touched home from close range to decide a see-saw match in which Town, despite being below-par in the first half, had led 2-1 at the interval.

The visitors fell behind to a Jamille Matt strike on 11 minutes but Keshi Anderson sent in a 30-yard rocket to level on 26 minutes before Olly Lancashire pressured Matt into conceding a bizarre own goal.

Siriki Dembele levelled for the Mariners with less than 20 minutes to go before Rose decided it late on.

Town made two changes from the side that came from behind to win at Yeovil on Saturday, with Timi Elsnik – who limped off in that clash – being replaced by weekend scorer Kellan Gordon, while Kaiyne Woolery came in for Luke Norris, who dropped to the bench – and then apparently out altogether after suffering a pre-match problem.

The parallels with Huish Park continued as Town were sluggish at the start, the Grimsby setting about their task with relish.

The hosts could conceivably have been ahead immediately as the tricky winger Dembele got up to meet a right-wing cross, but his goal-bound header was palmed behind for a corner by Reice Charles-Cook.

Town responded four minutes later as Woolery advanced after being played in from halfway by Keshi Anderson’s pass but, as the ex-Wigan man bore down on goal, Zak Mills got back well to block his shot.

The visitors weren’t at the races though and they fell behind on 11 minutes.

An innocuous-looking ball was played into the area from the left, but Matt Preston appeared non-plussed as Matt advanced on to it and, as Charles-Cook went to meet him, applied a slide-rule finish into the corner of the net.

That failed to wake the away side from their slumbers. The back-line looked decidedly unconvincing when dealing with crosses from each flank before Woolery carelessly lost possession in midfield to allow Grimsby to advance only for Rose to miss-kick in a promising position.

A Mills cross hit, rather than found, Matt in front of goal soon after, but Charles-Cook was down to smother before the hosts worked a neat free kick and Dembele’s cross was met on the volley by Danny Collins, who fired straight at the Town keeper from eight yards.

That should have been 2-0. Instead Town levelled unexpectedly on 26 minutes with a stunner.

Anderson picked up the ball in acres of space in midfield and, as the defence backed off, let fly from 30 yards, the ball screaming past James McKeown in the home net.

If that goal was a belter, Town had taken the lead within two minutes with something quite bizarre.

Matt Taylor lofted a free kick in the direction of Lancashire, who went up to meet it with Matt. The ball hit the Grimsby man and, as McKeown waited to gather it, only to somehow misjudge it completely and the ball rolled over the line.

Diallang Jaiyesimi and Sam Jones both fired high and wide as Grimsby attempted a response, before Preston was booked for hauling back Matt.

Taylor fired a long-range free kick wide for the visitors before, with the last action of the first half, Luke Summerfield’s fierce 25-yard free kick was turned over the top by Charles-Cook.

In contrast, Town started the second half well and should have had a penalty within three minutes. Gordon broke with lightning speed after a Grimsby corner and his cross-field ball was nodded down by Anderson into the path of John Goddard.

The midfielder looked certain to score but was certainly being fouled as the effort dribbled wide, to the undisguised fury of many of the the 199 Town fans behind the goal and David Flitcroft on the sidelines.

The game became something of a midfield stalemate for a time with Harry Smith and Flitcroft earning a talking-to from referee Martin Coy, as the latter still protested the non-penalty.

Grimsby were starting to make the running, Jaiyesimi fired well wide from 20 yards before Matt hassled Preston into giving away a corner, which went out for another that Charles-Cook punched clear.

Smith eventually went into the book for a late tackle on home captain Nathan Clarke, but the Mariners’ fans were getting more irate, at both their team’s deficiencies and the officials’ decisions.

Grimsby were building up a little head of steam though and with just under 20 minutes remaining, they levelled.

Jaiyesimi was allowed to pick the ball up on the left and advance into the box before crossing from the by-line. It found its way through to Dembele at the far post and he slotted neatly into the net.

Town picked it up again, earning a free kick on the right edge of the box that Taylor powered towards goal, but Collins headed out from under the bar.

Flitcroft sent on Ellis Iandolo for Gordon with 12 minutes to go but Grimsby were on the offensive and on 87 minutes they broke through again.

Once again it was the right side of Town’s box causing the issue, the ball being moved inside and then crossed along the six yard box where Rose touched home from nearly on the line.

Town could still have levelled as a Taylor corner was headed goalwards and somehow cleared out from under the bar, but time ran out on them.