As a result of this, Neil Woods was relieved of his duties on 24 February 2011 after 15 months in charge. He left the club in 9th position in the Conference National. On 23 March 2011, former Boston United managerial duo of Rob Scott and Paul Hurst were announced as the new joint managers. They finished the 2010–11 season in 11th on 62 points. The duo started the 2011–12 season by rebuilding the squad, with many players leaving, and bringing in players including Liam Hearn, Craig Disley and James McKeown. The season began poorly with one win in six in August, including a 5–0 loss at Braintree Town. Form then began to improve and Grimsby went on a 15-game unbeaten run in the league which began on 5 November 2011, and ended on 3 March 2012. The run included a 7–0 thrashing at home against Stockport County. Despite this run of form the poor early season form had cost them and they were unable to break into the play-off places, and an end of season run of 1 win in 8 games saw them fade away and once again finish in 11th place, this time on 70 points. On 19 September 2011, John Fenty resigned as chairman of Grimsby Town with immediate effect, a position he had held for 7 years, although he continues to act as a director of the club. The 2012–13 season saw a more stable squad than had been seen by Grimsby Town in recent years, with a total of 12 players from the previous season's squad remaining. The previous season's top scorer Liam Hearn suffered an Achilles tendon injury in pre-season, and although he appeared to be on the road to recovery when he came on as a substitute against Stockport County, just three days later he injured his leg in training, and tests showed it was an Achilles tendon rupture and he would be out for several months. However, despite the loss of such an important player, and despite not winning 5 games into the season, Grimsby were top of the table by Christmas, with two crucial loan players Ross Hannah and Scott Neilson breathing new life into the Grimsby team. The turn of the year, however, appeared to be a turning point for Grimsby, with Nathan Pond returning from loan to Fleetwood Town and Scott Neilson signing for league rivals Luton Town. The team appeared to lack the quality they had shown towards the end of the previous year, and despite not losing until mid-February, a run of 4 consecutive losses in March saw them give up the top spot and ultimately fall away from the title race.