Grimsby Town opened their pre-season campaign with a 1-0 victory over Cleethorpes Town, but the post-match mood was far from celebratory as fans took to social media to question the fixture’s future.
David Artell handed debuts to all six of his summer signings in a match played in front of a healthy crowd at the Linden Club. The Mariners’ boss opted for two almost entirely different elevens in each half, with only young goalkeeper Seb Auton playing the full 90 minutes.
Despite an energetic start from the hosts, who saw Callum Foster hit the bar and Josh Walker go close, the opening 45 minutes ended goalless. The Mariners responded with chances of their own—Amaluzor forced a strong save from former Town stopper Ollie Battersby, and Gilsenan was denied in a one-on-one.
The breakthrough came 11 minutes into the second period. Henry Brown did well to drive into the box before teeing up Rose, whose low strike beat Battersby at the near post. Town went close to a second on several occasions, with Kabia and Smith both testing the Cleethorpes defence, while the hosts themselves struck the post in the closing stages through a trialist.
But while the fixture provided useful minutes for Artell’s squad, the game’s legacy may instead be defined by a string of reckless challenges that overshadowed the result.
Social Media Storm Over “Disgraceful” Challenges
Following the final whistle, Grimsby supporters flooded X (formerly Twitter) with frustration and anger at the conduct of Cleethorpes Town’s players.
What should have been a routine fitness-building exercise instead saw winger Charles Vernam forced off, with multiple fans citing repeat instances of dangerous tackles in past editions of this friendly.
“Should never play them again, absolutely disgraceful outfit,” wrote Sam Vincent. “It should be the last time we play them in pre-season. Some nasty challenges… They will lose out financially, but it’s not worth it,” added @RoyGTFC.
“Three (?) pre-seasons on the bounce we’ve had a player go off injured thanks to a bad tackle,” noted @MikePatrick79.
The consensus online was clear: the fixture no longer serves a useful purpose. Instead, many fans suggested switching the annual match to local side Grimsby Borough, with @RvbboMP saying, “Stop playing them, much rather play Borough twice.”
Writer’s View
The result may go down as a simple pre-season win, but the feeling from fans is that this annual fixture has run its course. There’s clearly a benefit to local engagement and fitness-building early in July, but if Cleethorpes Town can’t control the physicality—or the intensity crosses into recklessness—it puts Grimsby’s preparations at risk.
Pre-season should be a platform to prepare, not to survive. If this becomes a theme every year, Artell and the board might be wise to cut ties and prioritise safer, more productive opposition.
Fans have spoken loudly and clearly—there may be local history in the match, but the future of this derby looks increasingly uncertain.
