Stevenage make the 310-mile round trip to North-East Lincolnshire to face Paul Hurst’s Grimsby Town in Sky Bet League Two…
Boro sit second in Sky Bet League Two, just three points behind league leaders Leyton Orient, having both played eighteen games. Last Saturday, Stevenage welcomed Hartlepool United to The Lamex and picked up yet another three points thanks to Danny Rose’s smart goal making the difference.
After winning the 2021/22 National League play-offs, Grimsby returned to The Football League and now look to remain there. In the Play-off final, Paul Hurst’s side won 2-1 against Solihull Moors at The London Stadium through Jordan Maguire-Drew’s Extra-time winner.
The Mariners currently sit 14th in Sky Bet League Two after some mixed results. Hurst’s side have picked up six wins, five draws and six losses so far and sit eleven points clear of the drop zone. Last Saturday, Grimsby hosted Doncaster Rovers before falling to a 3-1 defeat, with John McAtee grabbing a consolation goal. The Mariners’ top scorer is Harry Clifton who has five goals to his name so far this campaign.
Paul Hurst took over as Grimsby boss in December 2020 but was unable to save his side from relegation out of The Football League. However, Hurst managed to achieve promotion in his first full-campaign and now looks to provide stability in The Football League. The Forty-eight-year-old had a previous spell as Grimsby manager from 2011-16. Before that, he represented Rotherham United for fifteen years as a player, making over 400 appearances at left-back.
Boro and The Mariners have met on ten occasions in the past, with Stevenage boasting the better win-rate with six in total. Grimsby have picked up two victories with the sides drawing twice. Boro’s best win against tomorrow’s hosts was in 2017 as goals from Jonathan Smith, Danny Newton and Ben Kennedy contributed to a 3-1 win at The Lamex.
The most recent encounter between the sides was in January 2021 as Stevenage travelled to Grimsby before earning a 2-1 victory. Elliott List grabbed the opener in the first half before Stefan Payne equalised in the 93rd minute. However, Forest Green loanee Matty Stevens stepped up to the plate and won the game for Boro in the 95th minute.
Grimsby have played their home games at Blundell Park for over a century, since the stadium opened in 1899. The current capacity of the ground is 9,052, after being made an all-seater stadium in 1995, reducing the capacity from around 27,000. The record attendance at Blundell Park was 31,651 in an FA Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1937.
Tom Reeves has been appointed Match Referee for tomorrow’s game with Nicholas Cooper and Oliver Bickle as his Assistants and Will Finnie as Fourth Official. Reeves has dished out fifty-nine yellow cards in seventeen EFL fixtures this season.
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