Newport County and Grimsby Town go head-to-head at Rodney Parade in EFL League Two this Saturday (07 Feb).
This will be the 40th meeting between the two sides, with a history stretching back to 1921.
Here is a look at Five Famous wins for the County against The Mariners...
Grimsby Town 0-1 Newport County | 2nd January 1960
We start at the dawn of the 1960s, with both teams lying in the Third Division (now League One).
Newport had won one of the three previous meetings before this one, but that was in the pre-war days of 1921.
Billy Lucas, then in his second spell as County manager, had the small matter of an FA Cup Third Round tie against Tottenham Hotspur, who would win the league and cup double in 1961, to prepare for.
But, for the first time, County were victorious at Blundell Park, thanks to a goal from Scottish winger John McSeveney.
They would end the season in 13th, with Grimsby missing out on promotion in 4th.
Incidentally, the crowd at Somerton Park the next week? 24,000.
Newport County 3-0 Grimsby Town | 1st October 1977
Newport’s 1977-78 season was both a vast improvement on the ‘Great Escape’ of the season before, as well as a disappointment at their eventual finish.
Colin Addison was in charge for his first full season, and County started with four wins from their first eight in the Fourth Division, including victory over compatriots Swansea City.
Oozing with confidence, they took Grimsby apart at Somerton Park, with two from Brian Preece and an Eddie Woods goal securing a comfortable success.
In fact, County found themselves in the top three by March 1978, with promotion a viable possibility; however, eight defeats in their last 12 games saw them finish an unflattering 16th-place.
Ironically, Grimsby would go much closer to promotion, finishing 6th and missing out by three points.
Grimsby Town 0-1 Newport County | 24th April 2013
Two points separated Grimsby and Newport in the Conference Premier table in 2012-13, and so the play-offs determined who got the chance to head to Wembley.
County had won more games than their opponents that season – 25 to Grimsby’s 23 – but had been thumped 3-0 at Blundell Park just four days before this encounter.
Conversely, Grimsby had already faced defeat against Welsh opposition when Wrexham beat them in the FA Trophy Final months earlier.
A tense first-leg went right down to the wire, and a header from Ismail Yakubu with one minute to play was enough to drag County to a pivotal win.
The Exiles would go on to win the second-leg by the same score, and advanced to Wembley to face Wrexham – the rest is history...
Grimsby Town 1-2 Newport County | 13th January 2018
By the time both teams were back in the EFL, County had once again pulled off a ‘Great Escape’ in 2017, and Grimsby were settling back into the league after their promotion the year before.
This game had echoes of 1960 – Tottenham Hotspur were due to visit Rodney Parade in the FA Cup weeks later, and County came home from Lincolnshire with an away win.
It was the first game following County’s famous FA Cup victory at home to Leeds United, and faced Grimsby during a six-game winless league spell.
Robbie Willmott and Frank Nouble put Michael Flynn’s side in front, whilst Jamille Matt – who would be in the Amber shirt the next time these two played – both scored and received a red card for the hosts.
Newport County 1-0 Grimsby Town | 6th February 2021
We finish with the last time the Amber Army won against their opponents from beyond the Humber.
The 2020-21 is best remembered for the lack of fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but both teams had a lot to play for at a barren Rodney Parade.
Newport were in the midst of a promotion charge, whilst Grimsby were sinking into a relegation battle. When County won the first game between the two in December, they were four points clear at the top of the division.
Despite a red card for Scot Bennett in the first-half, debutant Nicky Maynard – brought in on-loan from Mansfield Town – struck the decisive blow to send County up to fourth.
The Amber Army would make it all the way to the play-off final, before coming unstuck in a contentious defeat to Morecambe. Meanwhile, Grimsby would finish dead last, spending a season back in non-league.
