Mentioned Part 36

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 07/01/2002

"No disrespect to the likes of Grimsby..."

Grimsby's moments of glory

From the BBC.

Grimsby will undoubtedly be basking in the glory of their team's heroics against Premiership big guns Liverpool in the Worthington Cup. But both club and town have a plethora of other things of which to be proud.

And here BBC Sport Online puts Grimsby well and truly on the map.

The Dock Tower is a landmark on the Grimsby horizon and is rumoured to have been built on cotton wool. Why? Because when the foundations were dug out they apparently kept filling up with sand and water.

Paul Wilkinson, currently part of the club's coaching staff, was the last Grimsby player to send a Merseyside club crashing out of the League Cup. Wilkinson scored a last-minute winner against Everton in the fourth round of the Milk Cup in 1984.

Grimsby boasts some of the best fish and chip restaurants in the country, with Steels corner house close the team's home ground Blundell Park in Cleethorpes boasting a Les Routiers award.

The town also gave us the fish finger.

Grimsby led the way with the inflatable phenomenon that sprang up around the nation's stadia in the early 1990s, with blow up Harry the Haddocks taking over the terraces at Blundell Park.

One of England's finest thespians, Oscar-winning actor John Hurt spent some of his childhood in Grimsby, with regular visits to the theatre sparking his interest in the arts.

Grimsby is officially Britain's luckiest national lottery town, with at least three jackpot winners.

Bill Shankly managed Grimsby before later moving to Liverpool, where he would become the most successful manager of his generation and widely regarded as the best club boss of the 20th century. Shankly held the Mariners in great affection and hailed the team that just missed promotion back to Division One in the 1951-52 season as "class for class, the best football team I have seen in England since the war".

The National Fishing Heritage Museum, one of the country's most visited attractions, is situated in the town.

Sir Elton John recorded a song called Grimsby back in 1973 which featured on the album Caribou. It was written in homage to the town by writer Bernie Taupin.

Grimsby Town have set several records in their 123-year football history. Grimsby-born Tony Ford became the youngest ever league player when he was given his debut by the club in 1975 at the age of 16. Ford is now the oldest professional player plying his trade in the football league and holds the record for number of game appearances in the country.

Grimsby also share the record for the biggest attendance ever at Manchester United's Old Trafford ground with 76,962 spectators watching their FA Cup semi-final with Wolves in 1939.

Grimsby's last piece of silverware was the Auto Windscreen Shield, which the club won in 1998.

Spotted by Grim Rob.

If you see a "mention" mail them to rob@grimsbyfans.com and we'll put them up here.

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