Cod Almighty | Writers
The flight of Ian Holloway
23 December 2020
Ian Holloway has chosen the very worst moment to dump us. Pat Bell says both he and the man who appointed him - John Fenty - deserve contempt
John Fenty: a pattern of behaviour
2 March 2020
In February 2020, John Fenty said he would no longer in the day-to-day running of Grimsby Town. We took a look at his record
The black and white carbuncle
25 December 2019
In a seasonal mystery, Sherlock Holmes uncovers the truth hidden in an unkempt old goose
"Jubilation in Fishopolis": 1925-26 final part
6 August 2019
Promotion from Division Three (North) came down to the last day of the season: Grimsby had to win to take the title
"Vital engagements": 1925-26 part four
18 July 2019
Christmas in 1925 meant football on consecutive days. Grimsby played the league leaders, home and away
The night we thrashed Spurs 0-3
8 January 2019
The defeat at Crystal Palace was not the only time Town have been magnificent in defeat. Pat Bell remembers when Spurs visited Blundell Park in 1991
"A game of thrills": 1925-26 part two
1 September 2018
Jimmy Carmichael's goals have put Town second in the northern section table. A win over league leaders Rochdale will take them top...
"Young men of promise": 1925-26 part one
1 September 2018
Early in the 1925-26 season Grimsby Town started to turn around two decades of decline. Pat Bell imagines the first game of a pivotal season
"A keen display of partisanship": 1925-26 part three
1 August 2018
Grimsby were flying high in Division Three (North). But how would they do in the Lincolnshire derby?
A rosy prospect: 1925-26 part five
1 August 2018
In the first months of 1926, Grimsby Town hauled themselves back into the Division Three (North) title race. For the Good Friday game, they drew a record crowd
Uphill
Match report
2 January 2018
Uphill
What if... John Newman had acted like a modern manager?
15 August 2017
A new manager must always bring in his own players, yes? It wasn't always like that, Pat Bell suggests
The Wembley XI: the definitive team
17 July 2017
Who has given the best Town performances in a Wembley appearance? The final team unveiled
Wake me up at half past four
Match report
26 March 2017
Wake me up at half past four
Bring me rainfall
Match report
26 February 2017
Bring me rainfall
Away from home
3 January 2017
The links between Aberystwyth (and a few other places) and Cleethorpes explored in this archive article from Pat Bell
100 per cent representative: an interview with Jon Wood
13 November 2016
The Mariners Trust rep on the GTFC board is dedicated to Town, and dedicated to representing its fans
A wake-up call
22 October 2016
Paul Hurst is taking seriously an approach from Shrewsbury. It suggests Grimsby aren't quite the force we like to think we are
It only takes a few to make you feel unwelcome: an interview with Scott McGarvey
3 October 2016
A notorious figure among Town fans in the late 1980s talks to CA about his time at Blundell Park
A rough guide to... Stevenage
1 August 2016
Back in the day, Stevenage rose like a rocket. Are they now sinking like a feather?
A rough guide to... Leyton Orient
1 August 2016
Can Orient prosper despite a sack-happy owner and the new proximity of West Ham?
A rough guide to... Cambridge United
1 August 2016
After two seasons back in the Football League, Cambridge are eyeing another promotion. Pat Bell reports
Letters from afar: how Grimsby breeds writers
3 November 2015
The new book We are Town shows how many talented writers have been inspired by the Mariners
Building on sand: the 1987-88 season
10 February 2015
A team wrecked by the boardroom and a bad manager? Sounds familiar, but this was 1987, and in the end good things came from the wreckage
Beautiful losers: Leonard Cohen and the Mariners
19 November 2014
Leonard Cohen. Grimsby Town. Not much in common, you might think. Pat Bell disagrees
The road to nowhere
4 October 2014
As another mediocre season looms, Pat Bell traces the sequence of mishaps and blunders that got Town into this mess
How Grimsby was my valley
23 May 2014
From Pat Glover to John Oster, Wales has provided many of Town's greatest ever players. Pat Bell picks a Welsh Mariners XI to prove it
The day the Earth stood still
24 October 2013
Jim Dobbin's wonder goal at Newcastle put Town in the national spotlight. Pat Bell looks at why the goal remains a beacon for the Mariners, 25 years later
Bygone futures
Match report
1 April 2013
Bygone futures
Crawling over the line
22 March 2013
Town's 1991 promotion came despite some seriously wobbly spells of form during the season. Paul Thundercliffe and Pat Bell share their reminiscences
Things you only know if your dad is from Grimsby
12 February 2013
Not a plastic paddy, but a glass-fibre Grimbarian: what's it like to grow up elsewhere supporting the Mariners?
Book review: Laws of the Jungle
4 December 2012
Among Town fans he'll only be remembered for one thing. But how does Brian Laws' autobiography balance out? Pat Bell gives it a read
Muffins and mules: Hyde (a)
Match report
6 November 2012
Muffins and mules: Hyde (a) report
A cup of kindness: Port Vale (a)
Match report
12 November 2011
A cup of kindness: Port Vale (a) report
Slow recovery: the lessons of Town's 1988-89 FA Cup adventure
9 November 2011
A new manager. A young, inconsistent team near the bottom of the fourth flight. This was 1988-89. Pat Bell remembers
Rough Guide to... AFC Telford United
2 August 2011
2011-12 rough guide to AFC Telford United
Playing to the crowd
24 February 2011
In the wake of Neil Woods' sacking, Pat Bell accuses the chairman of bowing to the boo-boys
The long, lingering death of hope: Fleetwood (a)
Match report
19 February 2011
The long, lingering death of hope: Fleetwood (a) report
Book review: Grimsby Town: Through the Trap Door
14 November 2010
On occasion at CA Towers we get a spare moment to read a book. Even less occasionally we get time to write about it
Bonfire of Woods' vanities: Altrincham (a)
Match report
25 September 2010
Bonfire of Woods' vanities: Altrincham (a) report
The making of a Mariner
12 August 2010
Some stirring memories from following the Town over four decades, from Pat Bell
Rough Guide to... Bath City
12 August 2010
2010-11 Rough Guide to Bath City
Rough Guide to... Barrow
12 July 2010
2010-11 Rough Guide to Barrow
Player profile: Michael Cummins
29 June 2010
2010-11 player profile: Michael Cummins
Tales from the precipice: Accrington (a)
Match report
5 April 2010
Tales from the precipice: Accrington (a) report
A measure of displeasure: Crewe (a)
Match report
9 March 2010
A measure of displeasure: Crewe (a) report
Butter before guns: Rotherham (a)
Match report
23 January 2010
Butter before guns: Rotherham (a) report
Theme Team: The 'Come back, all is forgiven' XI
22 October 2009
Standfirst
The chequered history of 'foreign' players at Grimsby: 2
10 June 2009
Part two of Pat Bell's look at how foreign players have ultimately failed, for one reason or another, at Grimsby part 2
Cold without the comfort: Accrington (a)
Match report
28 December 2008
Cold without the comfort: Accrington (a) report
The chequered history of 'foreign' players at Grimsby: 1
15 December 2008
Jonah Foreigner: the chequered history of 'foreign' players at GTFC part 1
I was there: Bury (a)
Match report
15 November 2008
I was there: Bury (a) report
Disco Stu doesn't advertise: Morecambe (a)
Match report
20 September 2008
Disco Stu doesn't advertise: Morecambe (a) report
George's first match
10 March 2008
On St David's Day in 2008, Pat Bell took his son, George, to his very first football match: away at Morecambe
Hold on to yourself: Morecambe (a)
Match report
26 February 2008
Hold on to yourself: Morecambe (a) report
Gimme shelter: Stockport (a)
Match report
8 January 2008
Gimme shelter: Stockport (a) report
The book of laughter and forgetting: Chester (a)
Match report
1 January 2008
The book of laughter and forgetting: Chester (a) report
Rebel without applause: Bury (a)
Match report
18 August 2007
Rebel without applause: Bury (a) report
Player profile: Paul Bolland
6 August 2007
2007-08 player profile: Paul Bolland
Rough guide to... Stockport County
6 August 2007
2007-08 rough guide to... Stockport County
Rough guide to... Bradford City
29 July 2007
2007-08 rough guide to... Bradford City
Town on the box: The kindness of bar staff
8 January 2007
Readers share their experiences of watching Town on the telly
He never had a chance
6 November 2006
Pat Bell looks back on the Town career of Graham Rodger
Player profiles: Andy Taylor
27 September 2006
2006-07 player profiles: Andy Taylor
Memories are made of this
22 September 2006
A tribute to Town legend Joe Waters by Pat Bell
Rough guide to... Chester City
14 August 2006
2006-07 rough guide to... Chester City
Player profiles: Gary Croft
28 July 2006
2006-07 player profiles: Gary Croft
Player profiles: Tom Newey
28 July 2006
2006-07 player profiles: Tom Newey
Rough guide to... Wycombe Wanderers
1 July 2006
2006-07 rough guide to... Wycombe Wanderers
Great expectations
8 November 2005
Pat Bell took a look back at those players who left us frustrated and disappointed
The curse of the record fee
1 February 2005
What do Shaun Cunnington, John Oster, Gary Croft and Andy Tillson have in common? Pat Bell provides the analysis
Fight club
24 July 2004
Pat Bell gives the verdit on classic BP scrappers
If it isn't hurting, it isn't Grimsby
24 March 2004
The country may suffer, but Town perform much better under a Tory government claims Pat Bell
Player profile: Stacy Coldicott
11 September 2003
2003-04 player profile: Stacy Coldicott