Grimsby Town drew at home for the first time this season against Chesterfield, a 1-1 draw played out on a bitterly cold afternoon at Blundell Park.

Jordan Davies gave Town an early lead, but the visitors responded better to the opener and got themselves level before the break, with nothing to separate the two sides in a cagey second half.

Curtis Thompson and Charles Vernam returned to the matchday squad for the Mariners after prolonger injury absences, a welcome boost to the squad depth for David Artell with two experienced campaigners available off the bench.

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Justin Obikwu was thrust back into the starting lineup, having dealt with a recurring groin issue which had kept him out of the team since the Crewe Alexandra defeat on December 14.

Town had an opening inside the first minute as Jason Dadi Svanthorsson latched onto a long ball over the top of the Chesterfield backline. His low effort beat the goalkeeper but dribbled wide of his right post.

The visitors’ first effort on target came inside the first ten minutes, Ryan Colclough forcing a strong save from Jordan Wright diving down to his left as Chesterfield worked the ball swiftly down the right flank.

Chesterfield should have gone ahead in the 15th minute as the ball fell to Armando Dobra on the edge of the six-yard box from a corner, but he could not get under the bouncing ball and fired over from close range.

They would quickly live to regret missing that chance as just a minute later, Town were ahead. Svanthorsson placed his header perfectly to play Davies through on goal as the Chesterfield defenders looked to push out, with the latter poking the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper and into the net.

The away side were not deterred in their attacking efforts despite going behind, with Cameron McJannet having to intervene on the goalline to stop Bailey Hobson’s header from producing the equaliser.

They troubled again from a set-piece, with Dobra the recipient of the chance, but his finish was again wide of the mark to the relief of the Mariners, who were dropping deeper as the first half progressed.

It felt as though the equaliser was on the horizon for Chesterfield, and it was not a surprise to see it come from a set-piece, with Tom Naylor getting ahead of his marker at the near post to head past Wright.

Town would have been content to go in level at the break in a half that was predominantly played in their own half, with the visitors creating the bulk of the chances.

Grimsby came out with greater energy to start the second half and applied some early pressure, winning a couple of corners while not quite crafting the opening to get back in front.

Chances were at a premium in the second half for either side, with Town able to wrestle back some control without threatening the Chesterfield goal as much as they would have liked.

It would take something special from an individual to separate the two sides, and Hume had crafted a great chance for Svanthorsson with a clean roulette and through ball, but the former scuffed his opportunity.