History Part 2

Buckley`s first season at Blundell Park was a stable one,although a fifth round F.A cup tie against
Wimbledon(complete with Harry Haddock) in February 1989 was one of the sights of the season.This
famous cup run was simply an appetiser for our double promotion in seasons 1989-90 and 1990-91.Many
teams were simply outclassed by the mariners.All Buckley`s success was achieved by playing football
"the right way".With Grimsby back in division two (or division one as it became)Buckley had to quickly
assemble a quality first division squad at a cheap price.He certainatly succeeded and his teams were
always competitive in the league and established a cup pedigree with magnificent performances against
Aston Villa(twice),Tottenham Hotspur,Coventry City and QPR.

As with most football league clubs the stadium`s capacity was badly affected by the taylor report.It fell
from 17,500 to around 8,500 in a matter of seasons.Alan Buckley left in November 1994, former Forest
star Brian Laws was appointed.Despite ealry promise and some inspired signings the same level of
consistency was never attained and at the end of the 1996-97 season the mariners were relegated from
division one.