Eastleigh’s Vanarama Conference play-off final hopes are hanging by a thread as they trail 2-0 – and 4-1 on aggregate – against Grimsby Town at Blundell Park at half-time in the semi-final second leg.

Ex-Havant & Waterlooville striker Ollie Palmer and Lenell John-Lewis scored entirely against the run of play in a half the Spitfires dominated, putting the Mariners on the brink of a Wembley final against Bristol Rovers.

In three Eastleigh changes, left-back Michael Green returned after six games out with a hamstring injury.

He came in for the dropped Dan Spence while ex-Reading midfielder Brian Howard was given his first start in four games in place of the benched Jack Midson.

Interestingly, Craig Stanley was not even in the travelling squad after a touchline spat with manager Richard Hill in Thursday’s first-leg 2-1 defeat.

Former Grimsby loanee Harry Pell came in for Stanley to make his first appearance since the Lincoln victory last month as one of a midfield three, as the Spitfires reverted to a 4-3-1-2 formation.

Meanwhile the Mariners were unchanged from the 2-1 first-leg victory at the Silverlake Stadium.

The change of formation looked to have worked well for the Spitfires in the early phases.

Howard flanked by Pell and captain Ben Strevens in the midfield, with Jai Reason sitting in a free role behind the strikers, were able to break up Grimsby’s play well.

It meant that in the opening 20 minutes Eastleigh were able to put the pressure on the home side, with James Constable showing his normal appetite for hard-work by closing down any loose ball.

Town looked nervous and the Spitfires taking of advantage of that as Howard pulled a shaky save from James McKeown with three minutes gone.

Jamie Turley also had a chance at the back-post, but blazed wide while a Howard free-kick caused havoc in the box before it went narrowly wide.

That pressure continued with Howard particularly impressing with a good range of passing while Craig McAllister saw a rushed effort sail harmlessly wide and a neat move ended with Green dragging a low drive off target.

Despite Grimsby being second best, it was they who broke the deadlock with 11 minutes to play in the first half.

Ross Flitney, who had had nothing to do for the opening half hour, was simply a bystander as Palmer swivelled before drilling into the top right of the net after John-Lewis had tussled with Turley to win the ball and pass his strike partner 12 yards out.

Eastleigh immediately responded as they continued to pile the pressure.

As the half closed out Reason played in Green down the left before the full-back burst to the by-line and crossed.

The ball came out to Constable who stabbed at the ball before Reason also attempted to shoot only for it to be blocked.

Subsequently, Grimsby cleared the ball forward where Eastleigh’s Will Evans picked up the ball.

The centre-back dallied on the ball and was dispossessed by John-Lewis, who immediately pushed the ball in front of him to run onto before entering the box and slotting neatly under Flitney on 44 minutes.