Grimsby mascot, the Mighty Mariner.
NEWSFLASH!! All SC members will have FREE coach travel to this game at Grimsby. Just give name(s) when you make your booking with FGR. Not a member yet? You have until Friday at Noon to join the Supporters Club and make your booking. Already bought travel? We will refund the cost.
Travel to Grimsby
At just 2 feet above sea level, Blundell Park is the lowest ground in the top 4 leagues (The New Lawn is, arguably, the highest).
The journey to Grimsby (actually, it’s more like Cleethorpes) in north-east Lincolnshire is about 214 miles. This is a road journey of about 3 hours 45 minutes.
By Supporters Club Coach. For full details of Away Travel including pick up times: – look at FGR Away Travel – Forest Green Rovers Supporters Club (fgrsc.com) For further information, including pickup point locations see Away travel arrangements 22/23 – Forest Green Rovers Supporters Club (fgrsc.com)
Book your coach ticket with your match ticket from FGR (£5 adult discount for FGR Supporters Club members) but note that you need to call FGR Reception to get the coach discount (phone 0333 123 1889 Monday to Friday, between 9am and 3pm). Please try to book early.
By Car – Car parking around the stadium is very limited, so the advice is to arrive early and use the local street parking (watching out for matchday restrictions closer to the ground). Post Code for Sat Navs: DN35 7PY
By Rail – Rail travel is a 5 hour journey and it’s not possible to return the same day (even if you start your journey at Cheltenham rather than Stroud). If you do make the journey to Cleethorpes station, you will have a 22 minute walk beside the seaside to get to the ground – 1.1 miles).
Admission prices are pretty reasonable ranging from Adults £20, Concessions (students,unemployed & over 65’s) £13, accompanied u-18’s £5. Prices are all £2 more on the day.
It’s all about the fish
The club are nicknamed The Mariners. Grimsby’s fans are often referred to as ‘codheads’. The Grimsby fanzine is called ‘Cod Almighty’. The club’s logo is pretty self-explanatory!
Grimsby fans have been waving inflatable fish (called ‘Harry Haddocks’) for more than 30 years. In February this year Southampton decided to ban Harry Haddocks when Grimsby arrived to play an FA Cup tie at St Mary’s. In the face of strong protest, Southampton reversed the ban before the game. A bad season for Southampton got much worse when Grimsby knocked out the Premier League team, winning 2-1 to advance to the quarter-finals.
FGR fans will remember visits from Grimsby supporters together with their inflatable fish! The fish are called Harry Haddocks.
Away fans are accommodated in the left hand half of the Osmond Stand. Blundell Park is an all seater stadium.
How are they doing?
Grimsby’s season started ok. In their first 7 games of the season they were only beaten once – 3-2 away at Notts County. 4 draws and 2 wins in their other games represented a reasonably solid opening. But, their next 9 games produced 7 defeats, 1 draw and 1 win. A run of 4 consecutive defeats, ending in a 1-0 loss to Doncaster on the 28th October, were enough to see the Grimsby boss, Paul Hurst, sacked.
Paul Hurst was replaced in late November 2023 by Paul Artell, a former Doncaster team-mate of Hurst. Artell managed Crewe for over 4 years between 2017 and 2022, overseeing both a promotion and a relegation with the Railwaymen before being replaced in April 2022. Grimsby is his 2nd managerial position.
Since Artell took over, Grimsby had a couple of wins against Salford away and Crewe at home. However, this calendar year they have had 4 losses and 3 draws. This winless run has dropped them to 22nd in the table, one place and 4 points ahead of Rovers (albeit with a game in hand). Grimsby have no midweek game while Rovers play Wrexham 4 days earlier.
Given the positions in the table, Rovers realistically, need to catch either Grimsby or Colchester and to hope that Sutton don’t go on a run. This makes this particular game especially important.
The Manager
David Artell is Grimsby’s Head Coach. His “expressive and passionate touchline behaviour” has earned him fines and touchline bans by the FA.
Who to watch?
Winger Abo Eisa is having a good season. He is 2nd top scorer with 9 goals. His strike partner is Danny Rose who is top scorer with 12 for the season so far. Rose moved from Stevenage last summer for an undisclosed 5-figure sum. Grimsby invariably play with Rose as a lone striker, supported by 3 attacking midfielders.
Attacking midfielder, Gavan Holohan, is influential for the Mariners.
Striker Danny Rose has 12 goals so far this season.
Sudanese winger Abo Eisa has 9 goals for the season so far, 8 of these at Blundell Park.
The Club
The club have played at Blundell Park since 1898. Blundell Park holds the distinction of being the lowest ground above sea level in the English Football League (at about 0.6 metres). The New Lawn lays claim to be the highest ground in the EFL (at over 160 metres above sea level).
Grimsby actually play in Cleethorpes (next to the beach at this seaside resort). It’s only about a mile from Cleethorpes to Grimsby but locals claim that they are the only British club to play all of its games away from home.
Grimsby’s traditional rivals were their Humberside neighbours Hull City, but the 2 clubs haven’t played each other in the league since 1987. Fellow Lincolnshire clubs Scunthorpe United and Lincoln City have been more frequent derby opponents in recent years.
Grimsby’s Blundell Park.
Grimsby are one of only six clubs who have played in all top 5 tiers of English football (the others are Notts County, Leyton Orient, Carlisle Utd, Oxford Utd & Luton Town). FGR fans will remember Grimsby’s return to the football league in 2016 when they were promoted to League 2 after a 3-1 win against Rovers in the Wembley play-off final.
Managerial Heritage
Grimsby enjoyed 5 years back in the EFL after winning the 2016 National League play-off final against Rovers. They had spent 6 years in the National League, the first time in their history they had dropped to the 5th tier. In 2021 they were again relegated to the National League but bounced straight back the following season, defeating Wrexham, Notts County & Solihull Moors in the play-offs after a 6th place league finish.
The Town
Grimsby is in North Linconlshire, on the south side of the Humber estuary (looking across at Hull which is on the north side of the estuary). It has pretty much merged with Cleethorpes as a conurbation these days.
At its peak, in the 1950’s, Grimsby laid claim to being the largest fishing port in the world. In spite of a decline since those heady days, the town is still one of the largest centres of fish processing in Europe, with the Findus Group (incorporating Youngs Seafood and Findus) headquartered there.
Grimsby’s docks.
