Cod Almighty | Article

by Rob Cavallini

7 May 2025

The 1883-84 season saw Grimsby's first ever victory over Brigg Town. When they beat them again in the Lincolnshire Cup, the Grimsby players were "most disgracefully" attacked. Rob Cavallini, in an extract from his new book, describes the scandal 

Town continued to develop as a club and Clee Park was slowly evolving into a football ground. Charles Frederick Carter, a local coal salt business man, was elected President and he became the main driving force which saw the club gather momentum over the ensuing decade. Tom Atkinson became captain and had the foresight to introduce training and team meetings.

The team itself was strengthened as W. Asling, A.H. Read, G. Kimpson, T. Garnham and J. Earle were recruited and this effectively meant Grimsby Town had secured the best talent from North Lincolnshire.

Grimsby opened the season with a comprehensive 5-0 demolition of Gainsborough Town, and this was followed by a 3-1 victory over the Ironsides. This was no surprise considering Steamship’s best players had been recruited by Town, who were themselves not at full strength. The improvement of Town’s team is perhaps highlighted by only losing 0-2 to Spilsby at Louth. Town had taken a party of 60 players and spectators to what proved to be an excellent pre F.A. Cup test.

The F.A Cup began with a 3-1 victory over Hull Town, before, in a friendly, a 0-3 reverse ensued at Clee Park versus Sheffield Pyebank. This match was watched by 100 spectators and was regarded as one of the highlights of the season, but Town found the Yorkshire side too physical which reflected in the scoreline.

Market Rasen were thrashed 10-1 in the Lincolnshire Cup first round, before the second round of the F.A. Cup. Bizarrely the tie at Grantham was arranged for a Monday afternoon, which meant Town were missing Monument, Hall and Flowers and this helped the hosts to 0-4 win. Admission for this match was charged at 6d.

Town bounced back and Monument scored a late equaliser in the return at Gainsborough Town to secure a 3-3 draw. Brigg Town were then defeated for the first time 1-0 at the 12th attempt, and it would have been 4-1 had the disputed goals been counted. Another impressive result saw the team draw 2-2 with the powerful Spilsby team as Grimsby led 2-0 until the 84th minute when Kimpson retired injured. A crowd of 400 watched the match at Clee Park and was the largest to date.

The New Year saw Town resume hostilities in the Lincolnshire Cup where they were drawn away to Brigg Town. 250 supporters travelled from Grimsby by a special train to witness a fantastic 3-1 victory following goals by Garnham (2) and Monument. The match was controversial and reports suggested there was interesting betting activity which boiled over into crowd trouble:

‘’Brigg Football Club Scandal,’ I have been surprised, if not exactly shocked, by the mutual recriminations indulged in by the parties responsible for that ridiculous mode of accounting for their inglorious defeat. A little though, when I head Mr Storm (the captain), after their defeat, and when the roughs, who had by some unaccountable means, surrounded the players, evidently to annoy the visitors, and who, as the players left ‘the scene of the conflict,’ most disgracefully attacked the Grimsby players, call upon them, the roughs to ‘take the defeat like men,’ that he would have such difficulty in teaching the team that important lesson; but so it has proved, and we now see one of the oldest and best of the Lincolnshire Football Clubs so humiliated and so ill-advised as to expose their real or fancied grievances to the vulgar gaze. As to the ‘War of the Roses,’ I can only say this, that no one, without prejudice, could reasonably charge either with dereliction of duty on the occasion referred to; the goals were obtained from remarkably fine shots, and from ‘crossing play’ immediately preceding the shots, and anyone familiar with the art of goal-keeping must at once recognise that this method of attack is the surest of success, being the most difficult to contend with or counteract.

As to the brother – who played on the extreme left – his failure to score was his only failure, and that appears to have been thought criminal in him; but prejudice alone would overlook the enormity of his difficulties on this occasion, which was in the Lincolnshire papers in some such way as this – ‘Owing to the tenacity of R.C. Hall, the right half-back, and Read, the left half-back, the efforts of Rose and Hett were completely neutralised.’ One more point, Sir, and that an important one:- After the match at Grimsby, a fortnight preceding the one in question, in which the Brigg team was beaten by 4 to 1 (but which, owing to disputes, ultimately read 1 to nil), more than one of the members of that team fancied themselves so much as to freely wager 3 to 1 on themselves, but on the day of the match their partisans were actually wanting odds, which is really a suggestive fact, and not a little indicative of their chances, as ultimately revealed at the close of the game.

This was followed by a 4-0 win at Clee Park over Louth & District. The Grimsby News 13 stated that this was the largest crowd to watch Town at home in what was their new ground so this is the moment that Town actually had an enclosed arena. January closed with a trip to Sheffield Pyebank and a 1-5 reverse, although it was not Town’s strongest team.

The side bounced back strongly and thrashed Hull Town 9-2, although this was played in aid of Victoria Cricket Club, and Town used the name Grimsby Victoria for one game only. The match was tied at 2-2 at half-time, but Grimsby scored seven unanswered goals in the second half. An easy 4-0 win at Louth & District was the prelude to the resumption of the Lincolnshire Cup.

In the third round Town entertained Barton Town and took advantage of the second half wind to claim a 2-0 win after goals by Noble and France. Barton in turn tried to get Grimsby removed from the competition after they claimed H. Mundahl was ineligible. This was rejected by the Lincolnshire F.A. and Town progressed to the semi-final where they faced an away tie with Gainsborough Trinity. A crowd of 3,000 spectators, including 800 from Grimsby saw Town record a 4-1 victory and secure a first appearance in the final.

A 3-1 win at home to Lincoln Albion was the warm-up for the final and was probably choosen as Spilsby had beaten that side 1-0 in the other semi-final. The final was played at Brigg and caught the imagination of the Grimsby public as 2,000 travelled for the match, for what was said by some sources to be a crowd approaching 4,000. Spilsby, however, were not ready to relinquish their crown:

SPILSBY TOWN 4 GRIMSBY TOWN 2
The final tie for the trophy of the Lincolnshire Football Association was played on the Britannia Ground at Brigg on Saturday. About 3,000 spectators were present, the great majority being supporters of the Grimsby club, who had chartered two special trains. Spilsby had won the cup for two years, and they were the favourites on this occasion, though Grimsby during the present season had shown up well, and it was fully expected they would make a good fight for the county championship.

Grimsby won the toss, and took what advantage was to be gained from the wind. For a quarter of an hour the contest was hotly waged without any point being scored, and then Couch aimed a long shot into the Grimsby goal mouth, and out of a scrimmage Spilsby scored the first goal amid loud cheering. This reverse roused the Grimsby party, and the Spilsby goal was hotly assailed. After good work by Monument, who finished with a centre, Noble scored a goal for Grimsby, and the game was equalised. In the course of a few minutes, Grimsby further improved their position by scoring another point, Monument, with a capital long shot, doing the trick, and at ‘half-time’ the game was two goals to one in favour of Grimsby.

After the change of ends Spilsby soon made matters equal, Robinson, Barratt, and Lee being to the fore, and shortly afterwards they gained the upper hand by scoring their third goal, Mawer giving the final touch. The determined and judicious play of the Spilsby men was still further unsuccessful, Barrett placing the fourth goal to their credit. No further point being registered up to the call of ‘time,’ Spilsby by four goals to two were the winners of the cup for the third year in succession.

Town’s season fizzled out following this defeat, but the were further things of note to celebrate. A 3-3 draw with Manchester Greenheys saw 4,000 attend the match at Clee Park. A visit by Nottingham Forest saw a 1-5 reverse, but the visit of Sheffield Pyebank saw Town record a 1-1 draw. The remaining match was a 0-4 reverse at nemesis Spilsby as a weak Town side were jeered by local youths. The accounts were showing an impressive improvement as well:

Mr. A. Burnham, in making his financial statement, showed that the receipts of the club had gone on steadily increasing from £8 11s. 6d. in 1880 to £100 in 1884, and which sum represent a balance in hand of £10 to £15.

A History of Grimsby Town Football Club: Volume One 1878-1910 by Rob Cavallini is available from Dog N Duck Publications. It will include more than 50 pictures, full first team statistics, results and scorers from reserve team competitions, league tables for first and reserve team competitions and full appearance details.

Order before 1 June to get your name in the book and for a discounted price of £17.99 (+£3.00 UK postage)