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 Whilst the majority of Grimsby supporters were going about their usual Saturday morning business prior to the match against Lincoln, a handful of fans from both teams gathered at the Stamford Club for the first ‘GTFC vs LCFC Fans Derby’. The match replaced the ‘Bike To The Park’ initiative, which had to be abandoned on safety grounds due to the original 12pm kick off, and was a continuation of the desire to prove that ‘rival’ supporters can come together in a friendly manner, whilst raising money for good causes (and having fun) in the process.
With one of the three beneficiaries of the match being GTST, four of the current board members went along to lend their support and chairman Dave Otter presented the runners-up medals to the Grimsby players at the end of what was an excellent game of football.
Unfortunately, the LCFC fans team shaded the match 3-2, but the GTFC fans will soon have the opportunity to even the score as a return fixture has been arranged. A provisional date of 6th May has been set and the plan is for the game to be played at Sincil Bank (subject to involvement in the play-offs – theirs not ours!) The Lincoln Vital site reports that there will be a small admission charge, although those over the age of 80, who are accompanied by both grandparents, will get in free! GTST would like to thank all the organisers of the event, but in particular Jon Spurr, who once again worked tirelessly to ensure its success. After the match, Jon was the deserved recipient of the Sportsman Award, which was chosen by both the Grimsby and Lincoln Trusts. It has to be said though that if his observance of the offside rule had been taken into consideration, he wouldn’t have had a prayer! It is to be hoped that the excellent relationship between the Grimsby and Lincoln fans will continue to flourish – yet another good reason for us to stay up this season! The match report below is an edited version of a full match report, which can be found on the Lincoln Vital website, http://www.lincoln.vitalfootball.co.uk. GTFC vs LCFC Fans Derby – Match Report A decent crowd of perhaps 200 saw the Imps come from behind to win 3-2, in a game where both sides had good chances. The Imps took the lead in the 20th minute from the penalty spot through Taylor but the Grimsby fans hit back when Luke “Ole” O`Hara, the tricky number 14, wove past three players and centred superbly for Nuttall to execute an immaculate flicked half volley over Wayne.  Early in the second half, the Mariners took the lead thanks to a rising 25-yard wonder strike from Alec Gilliant, but Lincoln switched to a more direct game and got back into the game through their inspirational captain TJ Ramsden.
With the Grimsby players flagging a little as the game wore on, a goal mouth scramble saw Ryan Varley head home to give the Imps a 3-2 win, but to use that old cliché, football was the real winner, or to be more accurate the fans, who proved that the vast majority of football supporters do not deserve to be treated like criminals, as some would have us believe. Joint Men of the Match were Imps Captain T J Ramsden and Grimsby’s Luke O`Hara, whilst the Goal of the Game award not surprisingly went to Alec Gilliant.
Grimsby Fans FC - 1. Michael Wright, 2. Richard Broadley, 3. Iain Biglin, 4. Matthew Newton,
5. Paul Parker, 6. Jason Paget, 7. Matthew Lond, 8. Alec Gilliant, 9. Jon Spurr, 10. Jordan Houlston, 11. Craig Nuttall, 12. Leon Harding, 13. Trevor Hewson, 14. Luke O'Hara, 15. Darren Todd, 16. Mark Walter,
Manager: Chris Parker, Assistant Manager: David Blastland
Mascot: Jordan Smith Lincoln City Fans FC - 1. Wayne Greaves, 2. Adrian Bell, 3. Mark Whiley, 4. Jon Goulsbra, 5. Ian Greaves, 6. Graham Raisen, 7. Matt Harris, 8. Sam Booth, 9. Nathan Addlesee, 10. TJ Ramsden, 11. Ryan Varley, 12. Ryan Thomas, 13. Ryan Flarhety, 14. Dan Taylor, 15. Phil Donnor, 16. Julian Burley,
Manager: David Beck, Assistant Manager: Neil Gentleman-Hobbs
Mascot: Tristan Gentleman-Hobbs |
