The beginning of the Football League season is upon us and Grimsby Town begin their fourth-tier campaign with a difficult-looking trip to Highbury Stadium to face recently relegated League One side Fleetwood Town.
The Mariners have had a mixed opening day record in modern times but they will be looking for a similar outcome to that which kicked off 2017/18 when they visited Chesterfield fresh from the Spireites’ own relegation into League Two.
Grimsby supporters are hoping to see an improvement this season, following the struggles of a laborious campaign last time out; one in which they ended up embroiled in a relegation scrap, with the Blundell Park faithful now keen to witness a more relaxed, enjoyable spectacle moving forward.
Head coach David Artell came in midway through last season, replacing the dismissed Paul Hurst, who, along with his trusted assistant Chris Doig, now finds himself back in charge of League One Shrewsbury Town. Having had initial success implementing his possession-based style with the Mariners, Artell’s side quickly plummeted as it became apparent the squad at his disposal at that time wasn’t best suited to the way the former Gibraltar international defender wanted to play.
Following some heavy defeats, mainly at home, Artell and his staff realized it wasn’t working and changed to a more pragmatic, simplistic approach that his players felt more comfortable applying. The switch ultimately saw the Mariners become a more solid unit, harder to beat, and able to pick up the points necessary to confirm their EFL survival.
There is hope, however, that following a full pre-season with no immediate pressure to get results, the former Crewe Alexandra boss will have been able to recruit players that both suit the passing style he’s looking to put in place and solve some glaring issues that plagued the last campaign, as well as having adequate time on the training ground to mold everything together.
Grimsby face a tricky start to the season, with games against Fleetwood and Cheltenham Town – both in League One last year – followed by local clashes against Notts County, Chesterfield, and Bradford City (in league and cup) respectively. While patience is required, as a number of new players look to play a more specified way, getting points on the board is important, and Mariners fans will be hoping their opening day 3-1 win at Chesterfield in 2017 can be repeated on the West Coast this weekend.
A Siriki Dembélé and Sam Jones-inspired performance saw then manager Russell Slade’s Grimsby side win 3-1 at Chesterfield’s SMH Group Stadium in the 2017/18 season’s curtain-raiser.
First-half goals from defender Nathan Clarke and forward Jones gave the Mariners a comfortable half-time lead, and while striker Kristian Dennis replied late on for the Spireites, an 85th-minute penalty converted by Ben Davies saw Slade’s claim a somewhat rare first game success.
That victory, however, didn’t kick-start a particularly memorable campaign for Grimsby. Sam Jones quickly moved on, as did Dembélé at the end of a campaign that saw the Mariners lose their stylistic identity somewhat and suffer some notable, lengthy runs without a win as a consequence.
While last season was an arduous one for Grimsby and their supporters, three players stood out as reliable, consistent performers whom Artell can build around ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Unfortunately, captain and last year’s top scorer Danny Rose is only just returning from a lengthy absence due to an injury picked up at Crewe in the spring, commanding centre-back Doug Tharme underwent shoulder surgery in the close season and hasn’t yet returned to full-contact training, while key midfield man and experienced leader Curtis Thompson has been ruled out for up to 10 weeks with an injury sustained in a pre-season friendly defeat at National League club York City recently.
While Rose is likely to be on the bench, heading to a strong-looking Fleetwood side who were in the league above last year without the spine of the side makes it an even tougher assignment. Artell’s side will miss the leadership, goal threat, and physical presence of the trio that was so often leaned on last season.
Charlie Adam’s Fleetwood will provide an early stern test for Artell’s side and the methods they’re looking to implement. Despite relegation, there’s optimism that the Cod Army can prosper this time around. They have a strong squad by League Two standards and will be targeting an immediate return to the third tier.
Even if they had a full squad available, it’s a tough opener for the Mariners. Having a number of first-teamers missing (or not starting) only makes it more difficult. However, Grimsby fans will be hopeful of a first-day victory that mirrors the Chesterfield win in 2017. They will, though, hope for a better season overall, both in terms of results and to a lesser degree of importance, entertainment.
