Grimsby Town

v Wrexham

Tuesday 20 February 2007

 

Kick Off @ 19:45

The Match
The draw against rivals Chester on the weekend at least meant we climbed out of the relegation zone but it is six pointer time against a Grimsby side that has won their last three games.

This is the second of three games this week and another point would set us up for the second derby game against Shrewsbury next weekend but to record three points we will have to do something that we have not done in the last 419 minutes - score a goal!

The Mariners

Three successive victories for Grimsby has seen them climb up to seventeenth position with a return of 38 points from 33 games. The run started with an emphatic 6-0 win at Boston, which ended a run of 7 straight defeats for the Mariners, and this has been followed up with three points against Bristol Rovers and Mansfield.

 

Grimsby have struggled for the majority of this season despite reaching the Play off finals in the last campaign before they lost out to Cheltenham at Cardiff. The poor form this season resulted in Graham Rodger being sacked as manager with Alan Buckley returning for his third spell in charge of the Mariners.

 

Grimsby's win against Bristol Rovers in their last game at Blundell Park was their first win on home soil since before Christmas when they defeated Torquay 2-1. Despite their recent poor run, the Mariners home record is not too bad with 7 wins from 16 games and this leaves Grimsby ranked 14th in the home league table.

 

Top goal scorer for The Mariners is midfielder Peter Bore with the teenager bagging 8 goals so far in his first season as a professional.

Past Encounters

Last 5 Meetings
Aug 06: Wrexham 3 Grimsby 0
Apr 06: Grimsby 2 Wrexham 0
Dec 05: Wrexham 1 Grimsby 2
Mar 04: Wrexham 3 Grimsby 0
Jan 04: Grimsby 1 Wrexham 3

The last meeting between the sides was a comfortable 3-0 win for Wrexham as we started the home campaign in a positive fashion with Steve Evans, Chris Llewellyn and Matty Done all on the score sheet.

 

Last season, Grimsby completed the double over us with our last win at Bludnell Park coming back in January 2004 courtesy of a 3-1 win with Chris Llewellyn, Steve Thomas and Chris Armstrong on the score sheet.

 

The head-to-head in the league is all square on 20 wins each and there have been 11 draws in the 51 league games played between the two sides.

 

League Form Guide
Team Last 5 Games League Position Form Position Last Win
Wrexham DLLLD 22nd 24th 10 games
Grimsby LLWWW 17th 18th Last game

Team News

Wrexham Team News: Wrexham welcome back Ryan Valentine and Mark Jones from suspension but recent signing Jeff Whitley is a doubt as the midfielder has been on a course of antibiotics in the last week. Striker Neil Roberts is unavailable as his wife has recently given birth and Matt Crowell and Lee Roche continue to be ruled out with their respective knee and hamstring injuries.

Grimsby Team News: Manager Alan Buckley ahs no fresh injury worries and is set to name an unchanged side but the Mariners remain with out long term casualties Cary Cohen and Michael Reddy.

Other Games

League 2 Fixtures:

Barnet v Swindon
Darlington v Accrington Stanley
Grimsby v Wrexham
Hartlepool v Macclesfield
Lincoln City v Hereford
Milton Keynes Dons v Mansfield
Peterborough v Boston United
Rochdale v Torquay
Shrewsbury v Notts County
Stockport v Walsall
Chester v Bury (Wednesday)

Apart from our game, the other six pointer at the bottom of the table sees rock bottom Torquay travel to Rochdale who have started to drop into the relegation battle following a poor run of form but they did collect three points on the weekend.

Second bottom Boston appear to be in free fall and they travel to Peterborough with fourth bottom Macclesfield facing what looks like an impossible task at high flying Hartlepool.

Venue Guide

Address: Blundell Park, Cleethorpes, DN35 7PY.

Telephone Number: 01472 605050

Fax Number: 01472 693665

Grimsby Websites

How to get there?
By Car: Leave the M62 at junction 35, branching left to join the M18. At junction 5 of the M18 take left hand lanes and first exit at the roundabout to join the M180. At junction 3 of the M180 take right hand lanes to continue on the M180 until junction 5 where the motorway ends and becomes the A180. At the roundabout take the third exit signposted Town centre and Cleethorpes and in about half a mile take the second exit at the roundabout continuing on the A180. From here it is a matter of going straight on at roundabouts and traffic lights and after passing the junction with the A16 the ground will be on your left off the A180, just behind the McDonalds. Distance = 170 miles, Time = 3 hours.

By Train: Cleethorpes station is nearer to Blundell Park than Grimsby so you are better off using that as your destination. It is still a 15-20 minute walk to the ground and on leaving the station head back along the coast road and the floodlights will appear in the distance. If you want to use public transport then look out for buses 3F, 8X or 9X running from the sea front. Click here for the Rail Track Online Timetable or call national enquiries on 08457 484950.
When you are there
Car Parking: There is no car park at the ground and the only alternative is street parking. Head past Blundell Park towards Cleethorpes and park in one of the side streets.

Beer and Grub: The unofficial away pub is the Leaking Boat which is halfway between Blundell Park and Cleethorpes located 400 yards after the ground off the A180 and the pub has a large car park and lets in children. Other pubs that have come recommended are the Blundell Park Hotel which serves good food at reasonable prices for the early visitor. Before you reach Blundell Park is the Rutland Arms and is a place to mingle with home fans but it is a good distance from the ground. To find it turn left at the Ramsdens superstore and left again and the pub is at the opposite end of the car park. Please note that it odes not allow in children. The Imperial Pub by the ground is not recommended for away fans. There are a couple of chippies around the ground with the fish and chips are a must in this part of the world.

Cash Machines: On Grimsby Road you will find a Sainsburys Bank machine at the Jacksons Stores, a Nat West Branch and one at the a Tescos.

How much to get in?

Osmond Stand: A steep £17 for adults with OAPs paying £10 and juniors £6.

Disabled Facilities
Away fans can park on Hartington Street behind the Main Stand with level access to the ground. There are 44 spaces shared between home and away fans in the Main Stand with partial cover and the helper sits behind. There is only one adapted toilet but the catering outlets are not dedicated. The DSA is Daphne Farquarson and she can be contacted on 01472 696904.

Weather Forecast
Cloudy with temperatures dropping to 7 degrees Celsius and a 12 mph southerly wind.