Brighton gave assistant manager Bob Booker the perfect start to his caretaker spell with another convincing 3-0 home win against Grimsby.
Top scorer Leon Knight scored twice, including a late penalty, after Zesh Rehman, broke the stalemate in the second half.
Brighton's fourth straight home win without conceding a goal means they are now four points clear at the top of the table.
Oldham's Iain Dowie and former Brighton loan signing Steve Cotterill are the favourites to take charge at Withdean following Steve Coppell's departure to Reading.
Booker, Brighton's number two for the last three years, is also in the frame according to chairman Dick Knight.
He needs results while he is temporarily at the helm and the players responded to the challenge after a nervous first half.
Rehman, signed on loan from Fulham by Coppell, put Brighton ahead on 53 minutes with his second goal in three appearances. The Grimsby defence was caught asleep from a quickly taken corner and Knight crossed low for Rehman to net with a mis-hit shot from 15 yards.
Knight, brought in by Coppell on a free transfer from Chelsea after Bobby Zamora was sold to Spurs in the summer, then listed his season's tally into double figures with two more goals.
His first header from a Gary Hart cross on 55 minutes was blocked by Grimsby keeper Aidan Davison, but Knight made no mistake from the rebound.
The pint sized striker rounded off a good afternoon for Booker and Brighton with a stoppage time penalty, awarded for a foul by second half substitute Greg Young on Chris McPhee.
Brighton were grateful to Michels Kuipers in the first half, when Grimsby were the better side.
The big Dutchman made a brilliant one handed stop from Tony Crane's header to stretch his side's run without conceding a home goal to over seven hours.