Newport County go searching for points on Saturday (07 Feb) when Grimsby Town visit Rodney Parade in League Two.
The History
The Wellington Arms pub is the birthplace of Grimsby Town, when the cricket season ended and the players of a local team wanted to fill the winter months.
They first occupied Blundell Park in 1889, and missed out on being founder members of the English Football League, though they were admitted into the system in 1892.
A rollercoaster start to the 20th-century saw the club win promotion to the First Division in 1902, then end up re-elected back to non-league by 1910.
However, the club’s most successful period came following the resumption of post-war football, with the team finishing as the fifth-best in the country in 1935 – ten years after adopting their current black-and-white stripes.
They even found three of their players in the England squad between 1935 and 1937, and saw a record 31,651 crowd that same year against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup.
Despite reaching the Semi-Finals of the Cup in 1939 – the highest-attended game at Old Trafford ever – the club were relegated from the top division in the 1940s, and would never reach the level again.
More footnotes followed: Bill Shankly managed them for a brief period, and they appointed the first ever foreign manager in Hungarian Elemér Berkessy.
By the 1970s, they were in the basement Fourth Division. They bounced between the divisions throughout the next few decades, with a double success in 1998 (play-off promotion and EFL Trophy).
The last time they were in the second tier was 2003, just years after they stunned Liverpool in the League Cup. They have never returned since relegation, however.
Two spells have been spent in non-league recently, with a historic relegation in 2010 being their first in nearly 100 years.
The highlight of the club’s recent history has to be their FA Cup run of 2022-23, where they reached the Quarter-Finals of the competition, knocking Premier League Southampton out on the way.
The Form
Five wins in their last six. No goals conceded in said winning run. Their side knocking on the door of the play-offs. It is fair to say Grimsby look formidable coming into this one.
A 2-2 draw at Milton Keynes will have done little to damage The Mariners’ hopes of a top seven finish, five points outside the play-off spots at the moment.
There is also the small matter of Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers visiting Blundell Park in the FA Cup on the 15th February, with Grimsby aiming to match their heroics against Manchester United earlier in the season.
But there are a few chinks of hope for County; Grimsby have lost five times at home in the league so far, including to fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers back in August.
Furthermore, though the current run of form is impressive, the preceding run was decidedly less so: eight consecutive games without a win.
The Manager
David Artell holds the reigns for The Mariners, and is entering his third year in the role.
Appointed in November 2023, he spent six years at Crewe Alexandra, building the side into a solid League One team after joining the midst of a fight for EFL survival.
A real journeyman of the English leagues, Artell started at hometown club Rotherham United, but spent time at no fewer than ten other clubs in the country, and even played across the border with Bala Town and Port Talbot Town.
He even played at international level, making seven appearances for Gibraltar between 2014 and 2015.
He kept Grimsby up in 2023-24, and narrowly missed out on the play-offs last season, coming 9th in the table.
Artell has already become a hot property during his time with the club, and the successes in cup competitions this season have undoubtedly added to his reputation.
The Captain
The departure of Danny Rose, who had been captain, to Barrow last month left the door open for some new candidates to the role.
Kieran Green stood in for the first two matches, now in his fourth year at Grimsby.
Green was sent off against Colchester United, meaning Alex Gilbey stood in when Milton Keynes visited last weekend.
Born in Stockton-on-Tees, Green has gradually risen through the leagues after graduating with Hartlepool United.
Time at various clubs in the north-east, including Gateshead, Spennymoor Town and Blyth Spartans, paved the way for a move to York City in 2019, before FC Halifax Town snapped him up a year later.
He joined Grimsby in July 2022 for an undisclosed fee, and has been an integral part of the team ever since.
The Ones to Watch
Signing of the summer for Grimsby has to be Jaze Kabia, currently the club’s leading scorer with nine league goals so far.
Kabia was born in Cork, and got his start with Cobh Ramblers and Shelbourne in the League of Ireland set-up.
After spells with three clubs in Scotland, including with Premiership side Livingston, his 16 goals fired Truro City to a historic National League South promotion last season.
He bagged a double on Saturday to rescue Grimsby from defeat against Milton Keynes, and has 14 in all competitions so far.
Another attacking threat is Charles Vernam, who was awarded Man of the Match when they knocked Manchester United out of the EFL Cup in August.
This is now his third tenure with Grimsby, signing from Lincoln City in 2023, and has played at higher levels with Burton Albion and Coventry City.
Vernam has played 34 times this season across the competitions, and has scored eight goals from his winger role.