Heritage Number #803
As the Mariners prepare to face Blackpool in the Carabao Cup, the Club’s first instalment of the new Mariners Files looks back at one of the most memorable chapters in Grimsby Town’s history, and the man who played a central role in two of the Club’s greatest League Cup runs.
When you look back through Grimsby Town’s finest adventures in this competition, one name stands out more than any other.
Kevin Moore was at the heart of the Mariners’ runs to the League Cup quarter-finals in 1979/80 and 1984/85, first as a young defender and later as the Club captain.
So, why does Moore’s name continue to feature whenever Grimsby Town’s greatest League Cup stories are told?
A Young Defender At The Heart Of A Remarkable Run
Moore’s connection with Grimsby’s greatest League Cup runs began five years before he would wear the captain’s armband.
At just 21 years of age, the defender was an ever-present figure during the memorable 1979/80 campaign, selected by George Kerr for all nine of the Mariners’ League Cup fixtures as Town balanced a promotion-winning league season with an increasingly unlikely cup adventure.
Successive victories over Blackburn Rovers and top-flight Everton sent Grimsby into the quarter-finals, where Wolverhampton Wanderers stood between the Mariners and a place in the last four.
Suddenly, a League Cup semi-final was within touching distance.
In the first meeting at Blundell Park, Moore came within inches of changing the course of Grimsby Town history when his header struck the underside of the crossbar and stayed out.
Had the ball dropped the other side of the line, the Mariners may never have needed the replays that followed.
Instead, a goalless draw in Cleethorpes was followed by a 1-1 draw after extra time at Molineux, before Wolves finally ended Grimsby’s remarkable adventure with a 2-0 victory in a second replay at Derby County’s Baseball Ground.
Although Wolves ultimately prevailed, Moore’s performances throughout the campaign had established him as one of George Kerr’s most trusted defenders.
Five years later, he would return to the League Cup quarter-finals – this time with a very different role.
From Youngster To Captain
By the time Grimsby embarked on another memorable League Cup campaign in 1984/85, much had changed.
George Kerr had departed, Dave Booth was now in the dugout, and the promising young defender who had come within inches of helping the Mariners reach a League Cup semi-final had become the Club’s captain.
Once again, Grimsby built momentum in the competition, eventually earning a daunting fourth-round trip to Everton.
By the end of the season, Howard Kendall’s side would be crowned First Division champions and lift the European Cup Winners’ Cup, making the challenge facing Booth’s team all the more formidable.
Yet, led by Moore, the Mariners produced one of the finest performances in the Club’s history.
Paul Wilkinson’s last-minute header secured a famous 1-0 victory at Goodison Park, sending Grimsby into the League Cup quarter-finals for the second time in five seasons.
While Wilkinson’s dramatic winner secured the headlines, Moore had once again marshalled a Grimsby defence that kept one of English football’s finest sides at bay.
Another Quarter-Final
The Mariners’ adventure eventually came to an end in the quarter-finals, as Norwich City edged past Grimsby 1-0 at Blundell Park.
There was little shame in the defeat.
Ken Brown’s Norwich side would go on to lift the League Cup at Wembley just over two months later, underlining the calibre of the team Moore and the Mariners had pushed all the way.
Although the dream of reaching a League Cup semi-final remained just out of reach, Moore’s place in Grimsby Town folklore had long since been secured.
As a promising young defender in 1979/80 and as captain five years later, he was the constant across two of the Club’s three deepest League Cup campaigns.
A New Chapter
Now, as the Mariners begin another journey in the competition against Blackpool, they will hope to write a new chapter worthy of standing alongside those created by Moore and his teammates.
Whether this season’s side can emulate the achievements of the 1979/80 and 1984/85 teams remains to be seen.
What is certain is that, whenever Grimsby Town’s greatest League Cup stories are told, Kevin Moore’s name will always be among the first mentioned.
UTM
