Town Near New Record

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 29/01/2007

WITH the Mariners having recently beaten two club records for terrible results, they stand on the threshold of equalling a third. Only once in 128 years have Grimsby lost 8 games on the trot, and that was almost 100 years ago, in 1907.

Grimsby have recently beaten two records for failing to score and losing sequences. Firstly Town reached the worst ever run of consecutive goalless defeats when they lost six games in succession without finding the net. Then on Friday they beat the record period without a goal, which stretched to six games and 6310 minutes, beating the previous record set in 2000 shortly before Alan Buckley was sacked.

Town's record breaking run of eight consecutive defeats was set near the start of the 1907-1908 season.

Although the run was interrupted by a 0-0 draw at Bristol City in the FA Cup, the Mariners actually went nine league games without a win as they lost the next match 4-0 to Fulham.

The Mariners managed to improve later on in the 1907-1908 season but still finished third bottom of the Football League (which then comprised just two divisions), and were forced to apply for re-election. Although they were successful, just two years later Town finished second bottom and were relegated from the Football League in 1910. Fortunately they bounced back at the first time of asking in 1911 and have been in the Football League ever since.

Today's run has seen the Mariners slip from a mid-table position, to second bottom of the Football League. Unfortunately the old boys' network of re-election is no longer available as the Get Out of Jail Card it was until the 1980's.

The Mariners next game is especially important being a local derby against fellow strugglers Boston. Should Town beat the Pilgrims they would leapfrog above them and out of the bottom two. Should they lose then Grimsby would have to avoid defeat against Bristol Rovers at home in their next game if they are to avoid the stigma of being the worst Town side in their 128-year history, the only team who would have lost nine consecutive games. Defeat would also shorten the odds of Town being relegated out of the league for the first time in 97 years.

Alan Buckley is now 15 games into his third spell as Grimsby manager, and is now doing worse than in either of his previous two spells at the club. Interestingly he is also doing worse than his predecessor Graham Rodger at the same stage, who was sacked due to a poor run of form in November (Rodger lasted five more games). Only seven Town bosses have got off to a worse start than Buckley and lasted 15 games, and most of them had the disadvantage of playing in higher divisions.

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