SUPA Steve Fletcher registered his 100th career league goal as Cherries preserved their Football League status on a dramatic and emotional day at Dean Court.

Fletcher’s effort put the finishing touches to a stirring comeback from Eddie Howe’s troops after Nathan Jarman had given the Mariners the lead.

Jarman’s headed opener just before the break was cancelled out by Liam Feeney at the start of what turned out to be a rousing second half from Cherries.

Grimsby, who also ensured their safety thanks to Chester’s draw at Aldershot, did themselves no favours by having Danny Boshell and Joe Widdowson sent off either side of half-time.

Brett Pitman, who scored inside the opening three minutes at Chester the previous week, almost repeated the feat as Cherries made a lively start.

The striker turned sharply inside the 18-yard box and clipped his shot narrowly wide after latching on to Fletcher’s knockdown from Rhoys Wiggins’ hanging cross.

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Grimsby had a let-off after nine minutes when Feeney capitalised on a poor punched clearance from Wayne Henderson, only to strike the post with a right-foot shot.

And after Wiggins had supplied another probing cross from the left, Pitman nipped in front of his marker to poke his effort past the upright.

Referee Steve Tanner was unmoved after Pitman had gone to ground under a challenge from Ryan Bennett inside the box after 11 minutes.

A Grimsby corner caused a few palpitations inside the Cherries six-yard box but, after Bennett had fired through a crowd of players, Wiggins was on hand to clear his lines.

Anton Robinson came within a whisker of converting Mark Molesley’s cross at the far post but, after outjumping the Mariners defence, was unable to get the final touch.

Midway through the opening period, Peter Sweeney’s speculative long-range shot flew inches past Shwan Jalal’s right-hand upright with the Cherries goalkeeper stretching.

Fletcher was poleaxed after Grimsby defender Widdowson led an aerial challenge with his elbow, the incident sparking protests from both camps.

Referee Tanner spoke at length with both Conlon and Pitman, and then showed yellow cards to Mariners skipper Bennett and Widdowson.

Cherries had a loud penalty appeal waved away after Feeney’s blistering drive had appeared to strike a defender’s hand, although Tanner was again having none of it.

Disaster struck for Cherries when the visitors opened the scoring through Jarman four minutes before the interval.

The midfielder glanced home a header from close range after Conlon had nodded Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro’s deep centre back across the face of the goalmouth.

Grimsby were reduced to 10 men in first-half stoppage time when Danny Boshell, booked earlier for kicking the ball away, received a second yellow card for a reckless late tackle on Danny Hollands.

Cherries levelled just two minutes into the second half, the goal owing much to a defence-splitting one-two between Hollands and Pitman.

After trading passes with Pitman, Hollands found himself in acres of space in the box, only to see his rasping drive come crashing back off the underside of the crossbar.

But as the loose ball ran free to an alert Feeney, he kept his composure and rolled it into the bottom corner from around 10 yards.

Hollands almost grabbed a deserved goal following a frantic goalmouth scramble, his diving header just clearing the crossbar after 55 minutes.

Akpa Akpro shot tamely wide after bursting through before Fletcher’s header went straight down Henderson’s throat at the other end.

Lee Bradbury tried his luck from distance, only to see his shot flash past the post, before Jeff Goulding replaced goalscorer Feeney with 16 minutes remaining.

Fletcher raised the roof at Dean Court when he drove Cherries in front 10 minutes from time after the Grimsby defence had failed to clear Wiggins’s high cross.

As the Mariners’s frustrations continued to grow, Widdowson also saw red for a second booking after felling Molesley during the closing stages.

Cherries (4-4-2): Jalal; Bradbury, Garry, Pearce, Wiggins; Feeney (Goulding, 74), Robinson, Hollands, Molesley; Pitman, Fletcher. Unused subs: Connell, Igoe, Guyett, Pryce (g/k).

Booked: Fletcher.

Grimsby Town (4-4-2): Henderson; Stockdale, Bennett, Atkinson, Widdowson; Jarman (Proudlock, 82), Boshell, Sweeney (Hunt, 60), Hegarty; Akpa Akpro, Conlon (Forbes, 76).

Unused subs: Heywood, Lund.

Booked: Boshell, Bennett, Widdowson, Jarman.

Sent off: Boshell, Widdowson.

Referee: Steve Tanner (Somerset).

Attendance: 9,008.