History

Grimsby Town were formed (as Grimsby Pelham) during a meeting held at the Wellington Arms public
house in September 1878.

After only a year as Grimsby Pelham the club`s name was changed to Grimsby Town.Turning
professional in 1890,our first league game(as members of division two) came in 1892,a fixture which
saw the mariners beating Northwich Victoria 2-1.However,it was not until around 1910 that the
mariner`s adopted their famous black and white striped kit.

For around the next thirty years town were frequently relegated and promoted between the top two
divisions.The mariner`s eventually found relative stability with a long spell in the first division(from
1934 to 1948).This period is widely acknowledged as being the "golden era" for Grimsby Town.In
1934-35 the club finished fifth in division one,this remains our highest ever league position.Grimsby`s
best ever performances in the in the F.A cup can also be found in this era.In both 1936 and 1939
Grimsby reached the semi-finals.Interestingly,the attendance of 76,962 for the 1939 F.A cup semi-
final Vs Wolverhampton wonderers held at Old Trafford still holds the highest attendance record at
that ground.

The twenty or so years following the 1948 relegation saw the mariner`s yo-yoing between the
divisions.A succession of managers could not bring the glory-days back to Blundell Park.T he turning
point was the appointment of Lawrie Mcmenemy as manager in 1971.He soon led Grimsby to fourth
division championship.Over 22,000 fans crammed into the ground to see the Mariners crowned
champions in May 1972.Although the impetus created by McMenemy could not be sustained after he
left in 1973,(Grimsby were relegated in 1977) a return success was close.1978-79 saw Grimsby,led
by John Newman,promoted to the third division.

The following season,with George Kerr having replaced Newman,the Mariners went one better and
were promoted to the second division as champions.Many current Grimsby supporters regard this
period as their favourite,mainly because of the prominence of locally born players in the first
team.The next seven years were spent in this division,with the mariners coming close to the ultimate
promotion on several occasions.

Unfortunatley the mariners` fortunes again went into decline when popular manager Dave Booth left
the game in 1985 and was replaced by Mike Lyons.The Lyon`s era started brightly but eventually led
to relegation in the 1986-87 season.Thiswas followed by another relegation the following season.At
perhaps the lowest point in the club`s history Grimsby appointed one of their most successful
managers ever,Alan Buckley