Vital Statistics
Founded: 1878
Chairman: John Fenty
Last Season: National League - 4th (Play-off winners)
Nickname: The Mariners
Rivals: Lincoln City, Scunthorpe United, Hull City
Major Honours
None
Scheduled Matches
Portsmouth vs Grimsby: Tuesday, March 14th (7:45pm)
Grimsby vs Portsmouth: Saturday, December 10th (3pm)
Grimsby Town: A brief history
Formed as Grimsby Pelham in 1878, the Mariners joined the Football League in the Second Division in 1892, winning promotion to the top tier in 1902. Along with Hull, Grimsby were allowed to play on Christmas Day due to the demands of the fish trade in the early days.
The 30's were Grimsby's best years as the club finish fifth in Division One and reached the FA Cup semi-finals of 1936 and 1939 - in the latter they were beaten by the Wolves side that lost the final to Portsmouth. A decline followed although Bill Shankly almost won glory with the Mariners before he went on to become a Liverpool legend.
Grimsby have been through many promotions, relegations and financial crises which have threatened to kill the club. However, the lowest point in the club's history came when they were relegated to the Conference in 2010 and they stayed there until beating Forest Green Rovers in last season's play-off final.
The Manager: Paul Hurst
The 41-year-old played almost his entire career as a left back for Rotherham United, broken by a brief loan spell at Burton in 2008. When he retired he joined playing colleague Rob Scott in managing Ilkestone Town, where they won promotion to the Conference North.
The pair moved to Boston United and won promotion to the Conference North again in their first season. This success prompted Grimsby to hire them but Scott was sacked in 2013 for gross misconduct, leaving Hurst solely in charge. He eventually got the Mariners promoted after winning the play-offs last season.
The Stadium: Blundell Park (Capacity: 9,050 - Away: 2,200)
Ground review forthcoming.