Town’s tasty new match-ups
PROMOTION back to League Two for Grimsby Town provides plenty of new and exciting match-ups for fans of the club to enjoy for various reasons.
Some old rivalries will be reignited, and Town will also come up against one team for the first time next season.
With the fixture list for the EFL set to be released on June 23, here are some names to look out for on the calendar when picking out games to attend next season.
Bradford City: Returning to face the Bantams is an exciting match-up for several reasons. it could see the Mariners face a couple of former players, including Charles Vernam, Luke Hendrie and Andy Cook, with which Town fans share plenty of good memories.
Also, it would see Grimsby come up against Mark Hughes, who has legendary status within English football for his playing and managerial stints in the Premier League. Finally, Valley Parade boasts the biggest capacity in the league and is a historic football venue - a special place for away fans to attend. Doncaster Rovers: With Scunthorpe relegated from League Two, Doncaster is now the most local team for the Mariners, which could see large away followings from both teams back into Blundell Park and the Keepmoat.
The build-up and atmosphere for a local rivalry are always special, and for two teams that have not faced off in the league since 2017, there is an unpredictability to the fixtures that adds an extra layer of excitement. Mansfield Town: In another match-up against a notable figure in the dugout, Nigel Clough’s Stags lost out on promotion to Port Vale in the play-off final and are likely to come back just as strongly next season.
They will be fuelled by the disappointment of a final defeat and guided by an experienced head in the dugout.
Son of legendary football manager Brian Clough, Nigel has an excellent reputation as a manager within the EFL for his work with Burton Albion, guiding the club to the Championship for the first time in their history while also overseeing some brilliant cup runs.
This match-up will also see the Mariners reunite with former player Elliott Hewitt, who was a regular for Town in the 2019-20 and 20/21 seasons.
Rochdale: The Mariners have only played Rochdale once in the last decade and last beat the Dale in 2005 (they have played them ten times since), so there is a great source of motivation for the Town fans and once again a sense of unknown to the fixture.
Robbie Stockdale, who ended his playing career and started as a manager with Grimsby, slotting in as a caretaker boss alongside legendary physio Dave Moore before Paul Hurst and Rob Scott’s appointment in 2011, is now at the helm at the Spotland Stadium. This reunion is another interesting factor in this fixture. Sutton United: Finally, Sutton represent an entirely new challenge for Grimsby; the two clubs have never met in their respective histories.
Sutton finished a very respectable eighth in their first-ever season in the EFL after winning the National League title in the 2020-21 season.
The Us are a club on the rise and should pose an interesting challenge and exciting match-up for the Mariners, while also providing travelling Grimsby fans with a new ground to visit.
They are an unknown quantity and in Matt Gray, an exciting young manager who have taken many by surprise already off the back of a successful first season in the EFL.