The Mariners are on the road this evening as Town travel to the Wham Stadium to face Accrington Stanley in Sky Bet League Two action.
David Artell’s side will be looking to continue their strong start to the campaign and build on last season’s positive results against Stanley.
The Opposition
Founded in 1968, Accrington Stanley are nicknamed ‘The Reds’ and have spent much of their recent history competing in the EFL.
Stanley enjoyed their highest-ever league finish in 2020/21, ending that League One campaign in 11th place. They finished 16th in League Two last season and will be looking to improve on that position during the current campaign.
John Doolan is in charge at the Wham Stadium, having earned the role on a permanent basis following an impressive spell as interim manager.
Doolan has been part of Accrington’s coaching setup since 2017, having previously worked within elite youth development systems at both Liverpool and Everton, as well as coaching roles with Wigan Athletic.
He also served on Alan Stubbs’ coaching staff at Hibernian, helping the Scottish club win the Scottish Cup in 2016, before later moving to Rotherham United.
As a player, Doolan’s career was largely spent in non-league football, with spells at Knowsley United, Mossley, Barrow and Ashton United. He also spent time with Wigan Athletic and represented Accrington before moving into coaching.
Stanley’s Start
Accrington have collected one point from their opening three League Two fixtures. Their league campaign began with a 2-2 draw at home to Colchester before Stanley suffered a 2-0 defeat away at Exeter City.
They then fell to a 3-2 defeat at the Bescot Stadium last time out against Walsall. Stanley have also been knocked out of the Carabao Cup, losing 2-1 to Crewe Alexandra.
The Reds have therefore scored four goals across their opening three league games but have conceded seven.
Mariners’ Start
Town remain unbeaten in their opening three League Two fixtures. The Mariners began the campaign with a 1-0 victory over Exeter City at Blundell Park, before securing a goalless draw away at Walsall.
Saturday’s meeting with Fleetwood Town saw Town secure a 2-2 draw, with Andy Cook and Cian Doyle finding the net for the Mariners. That result leaves Artell’s side with five points from their opening three league fixtures.
Town will now be looking to maintain that unbeaten start when they make the trip to Accrington.
Head-to-Head
Tuesday’s fixture will be the 42nd meeting between Grimsby Town and Accrington Stanley, including previous encounters against Accrington Stanley 1891.
The Mariners hold the historical advantage, recording 22 victories compared with Stanley’s 15, while four meetings have ended in draws.
The first meeting came more than a century ago, with Town recording a 2-1 victory at Blundell Park on 15th April 1922. Accrington responded with a 1-0 victory in the return fixture a week later.
Recent meetings have produced plenty of goals. Town recorded a 5-2 victory at Blundell Park in December 2024, before Stanley came from behind to win 3-2 at the Wham Stadium on New Year’s Day 2025.
The sides then played out a 1-1 draw in August 2025, before Town secured a 1-0 victory in the most recent meeting at Blundell Park in February 2026.
Last Time We Met
The most recent encounter between the two sides came at Blundell Park on 11th February 2026. Town secured all three points with a 1-0 victory, with Tyrell Sellars-Fleming scoring the decisive goal in rain-sodden conditions.
The Mariners will now be hoping for another positive result against Stanley as they travel to the Wham Stadium.
Played for Both
Several players have represented both Grimsby Town and Accrington Stanley over the years.
Harvey Rodgers made the direct move between the two clubs in June 2023, signing a three-year contract with the Mariners after his time at Accrington.
Kayden Jackson also represented both clubs, spending time on loan at Grimsby before joining Accrington permanently, where he went on to win the League Two title.
Aristote Nsiala had an early-career loan spell at Accrington before later joining Town via Southport, while Aswad Thomas also played for both clubs during his career.
The Numbers
- Tuesday’s fixture will be the 42nd meeting between Grimsby Town and Accrington Stanley.
- Town have won 22 of the previous 41 meetings, compared with 15 Stanley victories and four draws.
- Grimsby are looking for successive Football League victories over Accrington for only the second time.
- Town last recorded back-to-back league wins against Stanley between 2010 and 2016.
- Accrington have won just one of their last nine home League Two games, drawing three and losing five.
- Town have lost just one of their last nine midweek league games, recording six wins and two draws during that run.
- Grimsby have collected five points from their opening three League Two fixtures.
- Accrington have collected one point from their opening three league games.
- The two sides drew 1-1 in the last meeting at the Wham Stadium in August 2025.
Match Officials
Michael Barlow will take charge of Tuesday evening’s fixture, with Mark Dwyer and Adam Nichol appointed as assistant referees and Zharir Mustafa named as fourth official.
Barlow has taken charge of two matches during the 2026/27 season so far.
His most recent Grimsby Town appointment came during the 2025/26 campaign, when he officiated Town’s 5-3 EFL Trophy victory over Everton Under-21s at Blundell Park on 4th November 2025.
Enjoy the game, Mariners, and get behind the Town as we head to Accrington!
UTM
