Joe Widdowson scored a tremendous goal on his home debut to help Grimsby to a vital victory on Saturday afternoon but it was a mixed day for the club's loan stars.
The 19-year-old left-back is gaining vital experience at League Two outfit Grimsby and was playing only his second game for the Mariners, after his debut on 17 January when the club won 1-0 against Wycombe. Widdowson is another of the club's highly-rated youngsters, having played against David Beckham in the MLS All-Star Game back in July.
The defender showed his attacking prowess with a 20-yarder just before the hour mark to give Grimsby the lead and they never looked back in a 3-0 win against Rotherham United - coincidentally the club where Widdowson played three games last season.
Kyel Reid got 65 minutes as Wolverhampton Wanderers took time out from their push for the Premier League with a 2-1 home defeat by Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fourth round. Nigel Quashie is also on loan at Molineux but did not figure as he was cup-tied after playing for Birmingham against Wolves in the previous round.
Elsewhere, Jimmy Walker kept a clean sheet to help Colchester United to a 0-0 draw at Championship rivals Bristol Rovers. Walker's efforts for the Essex club in the last two months have helped the Us to mid-table safety with Colchester in eleventh. Also in League One, Jordan Spence got a full 90 minutes in central defence as relegation-threatened Leyton Orient lost 2-1 to high-fliers Scunthorpe United.
Finally, Lee Bowyer got a full game for Birmingham City in their surprise 2-0 defeat at Blackpool that dented their hopes of promotion to the Premier League. The midfielder is on loan at the Midlands club until the end of the season.