Press Sport
Match preview: Grimsby Town v York City
11:05am Friday 10th February 2012
IN-FORM Grimsby Town will host York City having won nine of their last ten matches and shared the spoils in the other.
Barrow are the only side to hold the Mariners in that time, drawing 2-2 at their Holker Street home on January 24.
The North Lincolnshire side’s last defeat, meanwhile, came in a 3-2 reverse to Salisbury during an FA Cup second round replay at Blundell Park in December.
That tie was decided after extra-time, meaning the Mariners are undefeated in 21 matches over 90 minutes since Luton’s 1-0 Blue Square Bet Premier away triumph on October 21.
Surprisingly, the Hatters’ victory represented Grimsby’s third league loss in six days, following on from being beaten 2-1 by the Minstermen at Bootham Crescent and 3-1 by Ebbsfleet.
But the former Football League Trophy winners, now managed jointly by Rob Scott and Paul Hurst, have not looked back since.
They have moved to within two points and two places of the play-off slots and also booked their spot in the FA Trophy quarter-finals – at home to City or Ebbsfleet – with Tuesday night’s 2-1 win at Bath.
Tomorrow’s match will also pit the division’s joint-second top goalscorers against each other.
Only table-topping Fleetwood (67) have netted more times than City and Grimsby, who have both racked up 62 goals in 2011/12.
At home, though, the Mariners are out on their own, having scored eight more goals in front of their own fans than any other Blue Square Bet Premier team – City are the next best – with an impressive return of 43 goals.
Liam Hearn has spearheaded the Mariners’ attacking threat by netting 25 times this season.
His tally has included four hat-tricks with a four-goal haul against his former club Alfreton complemented by trebles in other victories over Barrow, Stockport and Bath.
Hearn has managed a total of 23 goals in 30 league games despite failing to hit the target during the first ten matches of the season.
City will not face former midfielder Manny Panther, however, with the Scotsman having returned to Aldershot after being sent off in his last loan match for Grimsby – the 3-1 New Year’s Day victory over Lincoln.
Defender Bradley Wood remains doubtful with an ankle injury that caused him to miss Tuesday’s Trophy tie.
But Kiernan Hughes-Mason, Ian Miller, Louie Soares and Kenny Arthur, who were all cup-tied at Bath, will be available against the Minstermen.
Miller is set to return at centre-back in place of Shaun Pearson but the other three players may need to be content with places on the bench.
Grimsby (probable): McKeown, Silk, Garner, Miller, Townsend, Coulson, Disley, Thanoj, Artus, Elding, Hearn.
Match facts
CITY have made 20 previous League trips to Blundell Park (19 in the Football League) winning twice and drawing five times.
The two wins were recorded in successive seasons (1972/3 and 1973/4) both by a 2-1 score-line in Division Three (League One).
Last term the clubs met for the first time in the Conference and the corresponding fixture ended 0-0.
This game was played on August 17, 2010, and the line-up was: Ingham, Parslow, McGurk, Sangare, Meredith, Lawless, Barrett (J Smith), Carruthers, Gash, Rankine (Purcell), Brodie.
It happened on February 11
1950: Alf Patrick netted both goals in a 2-1 home win over New Brighton in Division Three North watched by a crowd of 5,257.
1956: The smallest Bootham Crescent crowd of the season (6,593) saw Tranmere Rovers beat City 4-2 in the Northern Section. The marksmen were Gordon Brown and Ron Spence.
1984: City beat Darlington 2-0 at home to remain top of the Fourth Division. The crowd was 4,773 and Gary Ford and John MacPhail were the scorers. It was the 1,000th Football League game to be staged at Bootham Crescent.
1989: A 5-1 home win over Peterborough United with Ian Helliwell (2), Steve Spooner, Tony Canham and Kevin Dixon on the scoresheet. This Division Four match was watched by 2,438.
1992: Ian Blackstone and Nigel Pepper (2, including a penalty) were the marksmen in a 3-0 Fourth Division home win over Scunthorpe United in front of 2,255.
2003: A 2-2 Third Division (League Two) draw at Shewsbury Town with Graham Potter and Jon Parkin on target.
2009: City beat Kidderminster Harriers at home 13-12 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in an FA Trophy third round replay. Daniel McBreen scored in normal time and the crowd numbered 683.
Compiled by Dave Batters