AFTER 152 days and 12 league games, Grimsby Town's long unbeaten run away from home is over.
The Mariners slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Forest Green on Saturday, having not previously lost on the road in the league since September.
Uncharacteristic defensive errors were their downfall in Nailsworth, with both of Rovers' goals as preventable as they were frustrating for boss Paul Hurst, who saw his side squander a string of chances before Norwood pounced to roll in what proved to be the winner.
With Barnet, Bristol Rovers and Macclesfield all winning on the same afternoon, defeat in Gloucestershire means Town now trail the leaders by 12 points, with hopes of a title tilt now looking slim.
Speaking after the full-time whistle, Hurst said: "I'm disappointed with the result because I thought it was a game that, for large parts, both teams cancelled each other out.
"I thought we got on top of them and if anyone was going to win it, it looked like us, so to come away with nothing, was disappointing.
"The defensive errors are very unlike us. When you come to a place like Forest Green, that's something you can't afford to do."
After back-to-back postponements, Hurst went with the same starting XI that won at Eastleigh last time out.
That meant there were again starts for new signings Gregor Robertson and Christian Jolley on his return to The New Lawn, where he spent a short loan spell earlier in the season.
And the winger did nothing to endear himself to his former fans in the early exchanges when his innocuous challenge on Rob Sinclair forced the midfielder off for a spell, before he returned to what had begun as a scrappy affair.
In fact, Craig Disley's wayward half-volley – after a less-than convincing punch by Sam Russell – was the only incident to write home about in the first ten minutes.
But Kurtis Guthrie then spun and volleyed over Rovers' first shot in anger after good work from Sam Wedgbury in midfield, while at the other end, Charlie Clough had to be alert to shepherd behind Nathan Arnold's cross to Lenell John-Lewis at the far post.
Jon Parkin – crowned as the league's Player of the Month just before kick-off – then produced an impudent lobbed effort that roused the locals, but evaded McKeown's far post as the inauspicious start continued.
Just on the half-hour, Disley was caught in possession, allowing Elliot Frear to burst down the left and clip a ball in from which Guthrie drew a low save from McKeown, with Shaun Pearson heading a corner into the side netting at the other end minutes later.
It looked set for a goalless end to a stale first-half, but ten minutes before the break, when Parkin won a flick-on to Stuart Fleetwood, Toto Nsiala missed his clearance and the striker poked a cut-back across the box.
Carl Magnay looked favourite to sweep up the danger, but his awkward attempted clearance cannoned back off Frear and flew past McKeown to break the deadlock.
The New Lawn scoreboard incorrectly flashed up 4-0 – perhaps hopefully, as just five minutes later, the Mariners were level.
Arnold swung in another fine corner into a clutch of players and Guthrie's header flew past his own keeper to hand Town an equaliser that they gladly took into the break having not been at their best in the first 45.
After a slow start to the first-half, Hurst's side enjoyed a brighter opening after the restart, winning an early corner through Ollie Palmer.
But when that was cleared, Rovers broke up-field and won one of their own which Magnay did well to block and feed Clay, who in turn set Palmer on a break, but the Mansfield man could only fire into the side-netting.
Neat play by Magnay, Arnold and Jolley saw the latter burst into the box before being penalised for a tug-back on Kelly, who also looked to have played his part as the Town man went to ground as well.
His frustrations earned him a booking just shy of the hour mark for a lunge on Wedgbury, which left the midfielder limping – as the home faithful appealed in vain for a red.
Their heckles turned to gasps of desperation minutes later when, after Disley was penalised for a soft foul in the middle of the park, their side should have retaken the lead.
Sinclair's floated delivery was allowed to drift all the way to the back post, but when it was knocked back across goal, Parkin cracked against the post from yards out.
Jack Mackreth had replaced Jolley by the time Rovers threw on James Marwood and James Norwood, in response to a sustained spell of pressure from their visitors.
And Marwood was straight into the action, latching on to a through ball and drawing an untidy challenge from Pearson that earned the defender a yellow.
Ross Hannah replaced Palmer as partner to John-Lewis up front as Town continued to look for a winner – and the frontman almost provided it 11 minutes from time.
Mackreth went on a burst down the right and fired in a cross to the frontman, whose first-touch allowed him to swivel and crack a fierce volley towards the bottom corner.
Russell superbly threw out a strong arm to keep it out – and cling onto the ball – with Town players ready to pounce.
The former Darlington keeper was a man under fire, but he ensured Hannah spurned two quick-fire opportunities minutes later after Clay's through-ball.
John-Lewis cleverly let the pass run through to his strike-partner, who instantly fired at the legs of Russell, before hitting the rebound straight back at him.
A point would have represented a satisfactory haul for Town to take back up the M5, but six minutes from time, Norwood condemned them to a miserable journey home.
Somehow, the ball bounced off Disley just on the edge of the box, and cruelly, it proved to be a perfect pass to set the sub through on goal.
Rovers' top-scorer made no mistake, rolling coolly past a rooted McKeown as Ady Pennock's side consolidated their place in the play-offs by taking a game that, in truth, could have gone either way.
Hurst added: "Of course there was an element of frustration, but there's no point dwelling on it. It's not like we were outplayed from start to finish.
"We went toe-to-toe with a team on an extremely good run and were the team who looked like going on to win it."
