Stadium: Blundell Park, Cleethorpes DN35 7PY

Telephone: 01472 605 050

Club Colours:  Black & White

Nickname: The Mariners

Official Club Website:www.gtfc.com

Key Personnel:
Paul Hurst is currently in charge at Blundell Park. Hurst was a central defender playing over 500 games for Rotherham United between 1993-2008. He had managed at Ilkeston Town and Boston United before joining Grimsby in 2011 as joint manager with Rob Scott. Hurst took sole control in September 2013.

Brief Directions by Road:
The first thing to remember is that the ground is in Cleethorpes and not Grimsby. For you Motorway enthusiasts the M1 and M180/A180 will take you straight into the heart of Grimsby and staying on this road you will see the Stadium. However the trusty A1 will get you to Newark-on-Trent where you take the very pleasant A46 signposted Lincoln. This road is basically all you require as when you reach Grimsby look for signs for Cleethorpes and signs for the ground. Failing that head for the seafront and you will see the floodlights!

Car Parking:
No car park I am afraid but all the local streets are unrestricted.

Directions by Train:
A train from Kings Cross to Cleethorpes will take around 3 hours including a change at Doncaster or Newark. Cleethorpes station is only a goodly 25-minute walk to the ground. Basically turn left out of the station and head for the sea front. You will eventually see the ground on your left. Please note Grimsby station is a long way from the stadium. If travelling by boat from the North Sea head west towards Cleethorpes and you will see the floodlights straight-ahead.

Supporters Coaches:
Barnet Football Club will be running a coach to every way first team game this season. The 2013/14 Travel Club is now open for fans to join by a monthly fee system or one off individual booking.

Monthly Travel Club Memberships cost £38 for Adults, £30 for Concessions & Juniors and just £20 for Under-10s.

As a member of the Bees Travel Club, the club guarantee your seat on every trip of the season. All the coaches are stewarded and will depart from The Hive and return to The Hive immediately after the match.

For further information on the Bees Travel Club, please call the ticket office on 020 8381 3800 and select option two or visit The Hive in person.

Eating and Drinking Locally:
Inside the ground away fans are offered Scotties Bar which has a bar, TV and serves up a very decent pie and peas. Outside the ground is The Imperial and the Blundell Hotel, which are advertised as a home only pubs but I had a very pleasant drinks in there without a problem last time were there. They are adjacent to the ground on Grimsby Road. The Rutland Arms also on Grimsby Road is 10 minutes walk north from the ground offers real ales in abundance. Haddock and Chips is in the blood of folk from this part of the world and Sids Fish and Chips at 57 Grimsby Road is perhaps the best plaice to sample it take a way style, don’t miss out! I found the outstanding Ocean Restaurant in St Peters Avenue in the town for a sit down job. Extensive menu including steaks, ribs and fish, very reasonable prices, and has my personal recommendation for a pre match meal. In fact I have received numerous texts after the years about the quality of this establishment and once a very personal recommendation from the late but one and only Denis Signy as he took his Lady wife Pat for dinner there on a couple of occasions – oh how I miss that gentleman. For a good old-fashioned fry up or all day roast dinner seek out Browns Restaurant on Cleethorpes’ Promenade.

Ground Description:
The tall Carlsberg Stand, formally the Findus Stand, was built in 1980 and is the focal point at Blundell Park – It dominates the ground. It seats around 3,000 in two tiers. The view from this stand is one of the finest in football and it can be clearly seen from the ferry on the Humber Estuary. To the left is the Pontoon Stand and to the right the Osmand Stand which is the area reserved for visiting fans. They both provide covered seating for around 2,000. Finally we come to the main stand. A section of this remarkable stand is I believe the oldest surviving structure at a League ground. It is dates from 1901 and is the central section closest to the Pontoon stand. The stand was extended to meet the Osmand Stand in 1931 and now seats 2,300. The club is hoping to relocate to a new ground on the western outskirts of Grimsby at Great Coates, adjacent to the A180 dual carriageway. Planning permission has been granted for the provisionally titled Conoco Stadium, however time will tell when this project gets off the ground.

Admission Prices:
Osmond Stand: Adults: £16, Concessions £10, Under 15’s £4

Previous Meetings and Memories:
Our last meetings were in League 2 in2009/10 when each team won at home. The 3-0 Barnet win featured goals from O’Flynn, Adomah and Bolaise. A 2-0 defeat at Grimsby in May 2010 was a lifeline for the mariners at the time but they were still relegated to the Conference a week later. Barnet’s only win at Blundell Park was in September 2008 when a Neil Bishop goal bought home the spoils.

Overnight Stay Factor:
Oh yes it’s seaside time once again. One of my countless Barnet FC related dinner party stories is the one about Mrs Reckless and I sleeping in the same bed as Comedian Ken Dodd as he stays in the Tudor Guest-house when he is on tour. He first stayed there in the 1960’s. Diddy? No Doddy! Seriously lovely hospitality and run by the same family for 50 odd years (Smoked Kippers were even on the Breakfast menu, splendid). I am available for after dinner speaking by the way, reasonable rates etc.

Celebrity watch:
It is very unlikely place to add credibility to your autograph book as Grimsby/Cleethorpes appears only to be a haven for bit part soap and children’s TV actresses (Vivean Gray (Mrs Mangle) Julie Peasgood, Vicky Lee Taylor) or a weekend stopover for F list celebs. The following have been spotted on the seafront over the years, Big Daddy, Captain Birdseye, Roy Chubby Brown and Elton John. Bit fishy? Yeah.