Brentford FC had to overcome traffic problems and awful weather as well as the home side at Grimsby last night.

The Bees were delayed on the way up and had to contend with gale force winds and driving rain at Blundell Park.

But Charlie MacDonald's 18th goal of an increasingly profitable campaign gave them a 1-0 win which puts them four points clear at the top of League Two.

The killer goal on a wet and windy night on the north-east coast came just before the half-hour when Jordan Rhodes burst into space on the left.

Although his cross eluded MacDonald, when Adam Newton knocked it back across, the ace marksman stretched to convert.

That always looked likely to be enough to give Brentford a fourth straight win as Grimsby were woeful, looking every inch the relegation fodder they have become.

But Brentford were clinical, superbly organised at the back, and in atrocious conditions it was only they who looked like adding to the score sheet.

And the single goal victory was the least Brentford deserved.

MacDonald forced a fine save from Wayne Henderson with a fierce drive and then saw Jordan Rhodes loop a header into the Grimsby stopper's arms when his shot looked to be heading in.

Rhodes also turned a Marcus Bean nod down over from close range and had a shot blocked.

Grimsby offered almost nothing, Ben Hamer saving well from a Jamie Clarke free-kick. But the hosts did not have a shot on target in the second-half, and the closest they came to a goal was when a long

Henderson kick landed on top of the net first bounce after the wind took it from one end to the other.

But for Bees manager Andy Scott, scrappy wins like this are equally as important as outplaying footballing sides like Rochdale.

He said: "It was always going to be scrappy, we knew that. These are the types of games where you have the results and be strong.

"We were comfortable all night long. It was a scrappy game, but a professional performance in awful conditions.

"We knew if we could get through the first-half, against the wind, we could create more chances. It never really panned out like that, it was so difficult in the conditions.

"But we have come away with three points, and you can't complain at all."