Gourt Home::Gourt :: Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town F.C. are an English football League Two club. The club is located at Blundell Park in Cleethorpes, the seaside town conurbation of Grimsby borough, Lincolnshire, on the river Humber in the north-east of England.
The Mariners have started well in the 2005/2006 season, rising to the top of League 2, and beating Derby County and Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup (although they were finally knocked out of the cup by Newcastle United). Grimsby Town failed to gain automatic promotion into League One after conceding a last minute goal against Northampton Town, combined with a Lee Steele goal giving Leyton Orient victory at Oxford United which condemned Grimsby to the play-offs, despite being amongst the automatic promotion places for the majority of the season. The Mariners faced local rivals Lincoln City in the play-offs semi-finals, going on to win 3-1 on aggregate. They faced Cheltenham Town at The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff but lost 1-0, meaning that it will be League Two football at Blundell Park for the 2006/2007 season. On 31 May, manager Russell Slade left the club after failing to agree terms on a new contract. His assistant, Graham Rodger, was promoted to replace him.
The best season the Mariners have had in recent years was the 1997-98 season, where they twice travelled to Wembley Stadium and won, in the Auto Windscreens Shield with Wayne Burnett scoring a golden goal in extra time and then in the second division play-off final with Kevin Donovan scoring the winner. They also beat several clubs above them in the league structure that season, including (in the League Cup) Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City (who were the holders of the cup at the time).
Notable managers of Grimsby Town include Alan Buckley, Lennie Lawrence, Brian Laws and Russell Slade.
Notable players of Grimsby Town include John McDermott (who has been at the club since 1987 and holds the club record for appearances), Gary Croft, Graham Rodger (now manager), Jason Lee, Tony Ford, Garry Birtles and Peter Beagrie.
Grimsby play their home games at Blundell Park, which has possessed an all-seated capacity of just under 10,000 since 1995. Since the late 1990s, there have been plans for a new 20,000-seat stadium at nearby Great Coates - expected to be known as the Conoco Stadium - and it is likely to be ready for the 2008-09 season.
Current squad
Common First Team Line-Up 2005/06
Famous Ex-Players/Managers
| Person | Grimsby Record (league) | Claim to Fame |
|---|---|---|
| Jackie Bestall | Player 1926-38 427 games, 76 goals | 1 England cap (6 February 1935, vs Northern Ireland, 2-1, Goodison Park). Has the smallest road in Grimsby and Cleethorpes named after him, the only Town footballer to be honoured in this way. |
| Harry Betmead | Player 1930-47 296 games, 10 goals | 1 England Cap (20 May 1937, vs Finland, 8-0, Helsinki) |
| George Tweedy | Player 1932-52 347 games, Caretaker Manager 1950-51 | 1 England Cap (2 December 1936, vs Hungary, 6-2, Highbury) |
| Bill Shankly OBE | Manager 1951-53 | Liverpool Manager 1959-74, 3 League titles, 2 FA Cup wins, 1 UEFA Cup win. |
| Graham Taylor OBE | Player 1962-68 189 games, 2 goals | England Manager 1990-93, W 18 D 13 L 7. |
| Tony Ford MBE | Player 1975-86 & 1991-94 423 games, 58 goals | Holds all-time record, 931, for matches played in the English league by an outfield player. |
| Dave Beasant | Player 1992, 6 games | 1988 FA Cup winner, first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final, first goalkeeper to captain an FA Cup final team. 2 England caps. |
| Paul Jewell | Player 1995 5 games, 1 goal | Wigan Athletic Manager 2001-present, 2 promotions, League Cup finalists. |
| Danny Coyne | Player 1999-2003 181 games | Welsh international goalkeeper 1996-present, 11 caps. |
Colours
The black and white stripes are synonymous with Grimsby, and have rarely not featured on the design of the home kit. The notable exceptions being the pinstripes in 1958-1959, 1965-1966 and 1993-1994, plus the shirt from 1960-1962, which was plain white. However, this trend was slightly bucked for 2006-2007 season, where the amount of stripes were halved, with the stripes getting bigger.
Honours
| CompetitionLeague divisions given as pre-Premier League names | Honour | DatePromotions in Bold |
|---|---|---|
| Division One | Highest placing, 5th | 1934-35 |
| Division Two | Champions | 1900-01, 1933-34 |
| Runners-up | 1928-29 | |
| Third Place | 1895-96, 1896-97 | |
| Division Three | Champions | 1978-79 |
| Runners-up | 1961-62 | |
| Third Place | 1990-91, 1997-98 | |
| Division Three North | Champions | 1925-26, 1955-56 |
| Runners-up | 1951-52 | |
| Third Place | 1921-22 | |
| Division Three South | Highest placing, 13th | 1920-21 |
| Division Four | Champions | 1971-72 |
| Runners-up | 1978-79, 1989-90 | |
| Play off finalists, 4th | 2005-06 | |
| Football Alliance | Third Place | 1890-91 |
| Midland League | Champions | 1910-11, 1930-31, 1932-33, 1933-34, 1946-47 |
| FA Cup | Semi Final | 1935-36, 1938-39 |
| Quarter Final | 1907-08 | |
| League Cup | Quarter Final | 1965-66, 1979-80, 1984-85 |
| Football League Group Trophy | Winners | 1981-82 |
| Football League Trophy | Winners | 1997-98 |
| Full Members Cup | Second Round North | 1991-92 |
| Anglo-Italian Cup | 2nd, English Group 1 | 1993-94 |
| Anglo-Scottish Cup | Preliminary Stage | 1980-81 |
| Midland Youth Cup | Winners | 2005-06 |
History
- 1889-90 - Founder member of Football Alliance
- 1892-93 - Founder member of Football League Division Two
- 1900-01 - Football League Division Two Champions; promoted to Division One
- 1903 - Relegated to Division Two
- 1910 - Failed to be re-elected to Division Two, joined Midland League
- 1910-11 - Midland League Champions
- 1911-12 - Rejoined Football League Division Two
- 1920 - Relegated to new Division Three
- 1921 - Transferred from Division Three South to North
- 1925-26 - Football League Division Three North Champions; promoted to Division Two
- 1928-29 - Football League Division Two runner-up; promoted to Division One
- 1932 - Relegated to Division Two
- 1933-34 - Football League Division Two Champions; promoted to Division One
- 1935-36 - F.A. Cup semi-finalists
- 1938-39 - F.A. Cup semi-finalists
- 1939-40 - Football League programme abandoned due to outbreak of war
- 1948 - Relegated to Division Two
- 1951 - Relegated to Division Three North
- 1951-52 - Football League Division Three North runner-up
- 1955-56 - Football League Division Three North Champions; promoted to Division Two
- 1959 - Relegated to Division Three
- 1961-62 - Football League Division Three runner-up; promoted to Division Two
- 1964 - Relegated to Division Three (on goal average)
- 1968 - Relegated to Division Four (on goal average)
- 1971-72 - Football League Division Four Champions; promoted to Division Three
- 1977 - Relegated to Division Four
- 1978-79 - Football League Division Four runner-up (on goal difference); promoted to Division Three
- 1979-80 - Football League Division Three Champions; promoted to Division Two
- 1987 - Relegated to Division Three
- 1988 - Relegated to Division Four
- 1989-90 - Football League Division Four runner-up; promoted to Division Three
- 1990-91 - Promoted to Division Two (on goal difference)
- 1992-93 - Division Two re-designated Division One on formation of F.A. Premiership
- 1997 - Relegated to Division Two
- 1997-98 - Promoted to Division One after play-offs (SF Fulham 1 Grimsby Town 1, Grimsby Town 1 Fulham 0 - Agg 2-1; F Grimsby Town 1 Northampton Town 0 @ Wembley)
- 1997-98 - Won Auto Windscreen Trophy April 19, 1998 @ Wembley
- 2003 - Relegated to Division Two
- 2004 - Relegated to Division Three, which was then renamed "League Two"
- Best league position: 3rd, 1890-91
- Best FA Cup performance: Semi-finalists, 1935-36 and 1938-39
- Best League Cup performance: Quarter-final second replay, 1979-80
Source:
Player Records
- Most league goals in a season - 42 Pat Glover (1933-34)
- Most league goals in total - 180 Pat Glover (1930-39)
- Most league appearances - 623 (as of end of 05/06 season) John McDermott (1987-present}
Supporters Player of the Year
See also
External links
- Grimsby Town Football Club website
- Cod Almighty - Grimsby Town online fanzine
- Vital Grimsby Town FC Online News and Features
English football clubs | Sport in Lincolnshire | 1878 establishments | Grimsby Town F.C. | Grimsby | North East Lincolnshire
Grimsby Town | Grimsby Town Football Club | Grimsby Town F.C. | Grimsby Town FC
"Grimsby Town F.C."