The Mariners head into their first away fixture of the 2026/27 Sky Bet League Two campaign on Saturday lunchtime as the Mariners make the trip to the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium to take on Walsall.
Town will be looking to make it back-to-back league victories after opening the campaign with a 1-0 home win over Exeter City last weekend, while the Saddlers will be aiming to build on an impressive start of their own.
The Opposition
Founded in 1888, Walsall are affectionately known as the Saddlers and have been a familiar name in the Football League for well over a century. The club’s highest-ever league finish came in 1898/99, when they finished sixth in Division Two.
Walsall ended last season in 13th place in League Two and will be hoping to push towards the top end of the division this time around. The Saddlers are now managed by Lee Grant, who took charge in May 2026 on a three-year contract.
Grant enjoyed a long and distinguished playing career as a goalkeeper, beginning at Derby County before going on to represent Sheffield Wednesday, Burnley and Stoke City. He later joined Manchester United, where he remained until his retirement at the end of the 2021/22 season.
He moved into coaching after hanging up his gloves, joining Ipswich Town as a first-team coach in 2022 before taking his first managerial role with Huddersfield Town in 2025. Following his departure from Huddersfield in January 2026, Grant was appointed Walsall boss in May.
A Strong Start
Walsall have made an encouraging start to the new campaign, opening their League Two season with a 3-0 victory over Gillingham.
Isaac Moore, James Connolly and Aaron Pressley were all on target as the Saddlers secured three points, while goalkeeper Jed Ward produced an impressive display to keep a second consecutive clean sheet following Walsall’s Carabao Cup victory over Bristol City.
The Saddlers created plenty of opportunities in their opening league fixture, with almost 40 shots being registered between the two sides, but it was Walsall who ultimately showed the greater cutting edge. Ward was also called upon to make seven saves as Walsall began the campaign with maximum points.
Team News
Walsall will be without Ryan Leak, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury, while Stan Straw is also unavailable.
Mason Hancock is back in contention and could feature as the Saddlers look to make it two league wins from two.
Mariners’ Start
Town also began the new League Two campaign with a victory, Harvey Rodgers’ first-half goal proving enough to secure a 1-0 win over Exeter City at Blundell Park.
The Mariners will now be looking to carry that momentum onto the road and begin a league campaign with two victories for the first time since 2001/02, when Town were competing in the second tier.
It will be Town’s first away game of the new campaign and the first opportunity for the Mariners to build on last weekend’s positive start.
Head-to-Head
Saturday’s fixture will be the 75th competitive meeting between the two clubs.
Walsall currently hold the advantage in the overall head-to-head record, with 34 victories compared to Town’s 26. The remaining 14 meetings have ended in draws. The first encounter came at the Chuckery Ground on 22nd October 1892, when Walsall Town Swifts defeated Grimsby Town 3-1.
Town responded in emphatic fashion in the return fixture just months later, recording a 3-0 victory on 1st April 1893.
More recently, the Mariners have enjoyed considerable success on their visits to Walsall. Town have won each of their last two away Football League meetings with the Saddlers, including a 3-1 victory at the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium last season. Walsall, however, have had the upper hand when visiting Blundell Park, winning their last two trips to Cleethorpes by convincing margins.
Last Time We Met
The most recent meeting between the sides came at Blundell Park on 18th February 2026, when the two teams played out an entertaining 2-2 draw. Walsall took the lead in the 32nd minute when Priestley Farquharson met Courtney Clarke’s corner at the back post.
The Mariners were handed a major boost shortly before half-time when Walsall goalkeeper Myles Roberts was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on Andy Cook. Cook levelled five minutes into the second half, getting on the end of Jamie Walker’s cross, before putting Town ahead midway through the second period with his second goal of the evening.
Despite being reduced to ten men, Walsall responded almost immediately, Aaron Pressley heading home from another Clarke corner just three minutes later to secure a share of the spoils.
One to Watch
Former Saddler Andy Cook will be a familiar name to Walsall supporters and will be one to keep an eye on for the Mariners. Cook has yet to find the net this season but enjoyed a memorable evening against his former club in the sides’ last meeting, scoring twice in the 2-2 draw at Blundell Park.
The striker will be hoping to open his account for the new campaign on Saturday.
Played for Both
A number of players have represented both clubs over the years, with at least 24 players having pulled on the shirts of Walsall and Grimsby Town. Among the more familiar names are Andy Butler, Andy Cook, Jamille Matt and Richard O’Donnell.
The Numbers
- Walsall have lost two of their last three league meetings with Grimsby Town, with the other ending in a draw.
- The Saddlers had lost just one of their previous seven meetings with Town before that run.
- Grimsby have won each of their last two away Football League games against Walsall.
- Those two victories equal the number of wins Town recorded across their previous 30 away Football League attempts against the Saddlers between November 1897 and August 2023.
- Walsall have lost just one of their last 13 opening home league games of a season, winning nine and drawing three.
- The Mariners’ 1-0 victory over Exeter last weekend means Town will be looking to win their opening two Football League fixtures of a campaign for the first time since 2001/02.
Match Officials
Matthew Russell will take charge of Saturday’s fixture, with Oliver Nolan and Robert Evans appointed as assistant referees and Zachary Cunningham named as fourth official.
Russell officiated 25 matches last season, issuing 57 cautions and four red cards.
Enjoy the trip, Mariners, and get behind the Town as we head to Walsall!
UTM
