Tims 92

Grimsby Town

Blundell Park

Ground No. 102

Visited - Saturday 9th September 2006
Result - Grimsby Town 2-1 Walsall
Competition - Coca-Cola League 2
Attendance - 3669

Another free Saturday, and another chance to get nearer towards completing the 92. I had planned to go to Swansea, but with the trains there being delayed, I decided to head in the opposite direction to Grimsby instead.

Despite having planned a trip there several years ago, I had never been to Blundell Park before, so was quite looking forward to it when the day came around. As usual, I decided to catch the train early, and left Wolverhampton just after 7am. Changing in Birmingham and Sheffield, the journey went fairly smoothly, arriving into Cleethorpes slightly ahead of time at 10:50am.

From there, I walked along the coast straight up to the ground, finding it without any problems thanks in part to the tall floodlights standing above everything around. Whilst Blundell Park is famous for being close to the sea, it is surprising just how close it is, with this picture having been taken from the walkway at the top of the beach!

Having got to the ground, I went all around taking a few pictures, and managed to get inside after asking a member of security, with someone else showing me all around. At the one end is the Pontoon Stand, which is a fair sized, all seated single tier stand, featuring an unusual seat pattern which has a number of thin stripes giving the stand quite a unique look to it. To the right of that is the Main Stand, which only runs for about three-quarters the length of the pitch and features a large number of pillars in it. Despite being about the same height as the Pontoon Stand, it does look smaller thanks to a sloping roof, however one (apparently unadvertised fact) is that it is the oldest stand in the football league, dating back to 1901. Wrapping around the corner, forming an L-shape, the Main Stand continues around to the Osmond Stand, which was built in the same style as the Main Stand, with a number of pillars supporting a sloping roof that gives shelter to the away fans below. Finally, completing the picture at Blundell Park is the Carlsberg Stand. The newest stand at the ground, from the outside it looks particularly imposing, however from inside the ground, slightly less so, only running for half the length of the pitch, being centred on the halfway line. Split into two tiers, as with the rest of the ground, this stand is also all-seated and has a number of executive boxes running along the middle.

Having taken a few pictures, I eventually left the ground, stopping off to visit the club shop, before going back into Cleethorpes to spend the next few hours before kick-off, not coming back to the ground until about 2:55pm.

I’d purchased a ticket for the Pontoon Stand, choosing to sit with the home supporters, partly thanks to this stand being £2 cheaper than the opposite end, although it was unclear as to why, with views and facilities seeming to be comparable beforehand. Anyway, after finding my seat the game soon got started, with Grimsby hoping to end Walsall’s unbeaten record.

The home side started the brightest, but it was Walsall who took the lead early on when Martin Butler found himself unmarked in the box and was able to tap home a low cross from the right. Despite this set-back, Grimsby battled back in what was becoming an increasingly scrappy match. Both sides could have been next to score, but it was the hosts who drew the game back to 1-1 just before half-time, when Phil Bolland smashed home a loose ball. In the second half, it was much the same with Walsall slightly shading it, but it was Grimsby who took the lead, when they scored in the 73rd minute. Peter Bore was the goalscorer, managing to pick up on a rebounded save from Clayton Ince. Despite late pressure from Walsall, including several corners in injury time, the home side managed to hang on, coming away with all three points.

Throughout the game, there had been a mixed atmosphere from the home fans, loud and supportive one minute, to an almost welcomed sense of negativity the next. It was almost like being back at Molineux! The Walsall fans at the opposite end were fairly quiet, with not a huge amount to shout about really.

After leaving the ground, I went back to the town centre for a while, making sure to get some fish and chips (they really are as good in Grimsby as everyone says!), before catching the 6:30pm train home, arriving home late, but in a fairly good mood.

Overall, it had been quite a good day out. The ground might not be one of the most modern in the world, but personally I liked it, with it certainly being unique to Grimsby Town, something that perhaps won’t be the case should the move to Great Coates ever go ahead.