2020–21 Grimsby Town F.C. season explained

Club:	Grimsby Town
Season:	2020–21
Manager:	Ian Holloway (until 23 December)^[1] Paul Hurst (from 30 December)^[2]
Chairman:	Philip Day
Stadium:	Blundell Park
League:	League Two
League Result:	24th (Relegated)
Cup1:	FA Cup
Cup1 Result:	First round
Cup2:	EFL Cup
Cup2 Result:	First round
Cup3:	EFL Trophy
Cup3 Result:	Group stage
League Topscorer:	Ira Jackson Jr Lenell John-Lewis Mattie Pollock (3 each)
Season Topscorer:	Mattie Pollock (4 goals)
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Prevseason:	2019–20
Nextseason:	2021–22

The 2020–21 season is Grimsby Town's 143rd in existence and their fifth consecutive season in EFL League Two. Along with competing in League Two, the club will also participate in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy.

The season covers the period from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.

The team struggled through the course of the season with relegation to the National League confirmed on April 27 after a 3-2 loss to Exeter City F.C.

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
11 August 2020					Free transfer	^[3]
11 August 2020					Free transfer	^[4]
13 August 2020					Free transfer	^[5]
13 August 2020					Free transfer	^[6]
14 August 2020					Free transfer	^[7]
31 August 2020					Free transfer	^[8]
2 September 2020					Free transfer	^[9]
5 September 2020					Undisclosed	^[10]
11 December 2020					Free transfer	^[11]
8 January 2021					Free transfer	^[12]
25 January 2021					Free transfer	^[13]
1 February 2021					Free transfer	^[14]
1 February 2021					Undisclosed	^[15]
6 February 2021					Free transfer	^[16]
12 February 2021					Free transfer	^[17]

Loans in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Date until	Ref.
3 September 2020					1 February 2021	^[18] ^[19]
5 September 2020					31 December 2020	^[20]
7 September 2020					6 January 2021	^[21]
30 September 2020					31 December 2020	^[22]
8 October 2020					End of season	^[23]
8 October 2020					20 December 2020	^[24] ^[25]
16 October 2020					5 January 2021	^[26]
18 January 2021					End of season	^[27]
21 January 2021					End of season	^[28]
29 January 2021					End of season	^[29]
1 February 2021					End of season	^[30]
1 February 2021					End of season	^[31]

Loans out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Date until	Ref.
15 September 2020			Jock Curran		1 January 2021	^[32]
15 September 2020			Cameron Painter		December 2020
9 October 2020					November 2020
9 October 2020					9 November 2020	^[33]
24 December 2020			Ollie Battersby		29 December 2020	^[34]
1 March 2021					April 2021	^[35]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
1 July 2020					Released
1 July 2020					Released	^[36]
1 July 2020					Released	^[37]
1 July 2020					Released	^[38]
1 July 2020					Released	^[39]
1 July 2020					Released
1 July 2020					Released	^[40]
1 July 2020					Released	^[41]
1 July 2020					Released	^[42]
17 July 2020					Free transfer	^[43]
20 July 2020					Free transfer	^[44]
21 November 2020					Released	^[45]
21 November 2020					Released	^[46] ^[47]
14 January 2021					Mutual consent	^[48] ^[49]
18 March 2021					Released	^[50]
30 March 2021					Released	^[51]

First-team squad

	Name	Nationality	Position	Date of birth (age)	Signed from (Last Club)	Signed in	Contract ends
Goalkeepers
1	James McKeown		GK	September 12, 2020		2011	2021
13	Ollie Battersby		GK	September 12, 2020	Academy	2017	2021
23	Sam Russell		GK	September 12, 2020		2018	2023
44	Jake Eastwood		GK	September 12, 2020	Sheffield United (Loan)	2021	2021
Defenders
2	Luke Hendrie		RB	September 12, 2020		2019	2021
6	Luke Waterfall		CB	September 12, 2020		2019	2021
22	Elliott Hewitt		RB / CM	September 12, 2020		2019	2021
25	Mattie Pollock		CB	September 12, 2020	Academy	2018	2021
26	Rollin Menayese		CB	September 12, 2020	Mansfield Town (Loan)	2021	2021
32	Duncan Idehen		CB	September 12, 2020	Academy	2020	2021
35	Ben Grist		CB	???	Academy	2020	2021
36	Sam Habergham		LB	September 12, 2020		2021	2021
Midfielders
4	Danny Rose		CM	September 12, 2020		2020	2022
8	Giles Coke		CM	September 12, 2020		2021	2021
10	George Williams		AM / LW	September 12, 2020		2020	2022
11	Sean Scannell		RW	September 1, 2020		2020	2022
14	Luke Spokes		CM	September 12, 2020		2020	2021
15	Harry Clifton		CM	September 12, 2020	Academy	2007	2021
18	Filipe Morais			September 12, 2020		2020	2022
19	Max Wright		RW	September 12, 2020	Academy	2008	2022
20	Jay Matete		CM	September 12, 2020	Fleetwood Town (Loan)	2021	2021
24	Jock Curran		CM	September 12, 2020	Academy	2019	2021
27	Harvey Tomlinson		AM	???	Academy	2020	2021
29	Joseph Starbuck		DM	September 12, 2020	Academy	2020	2022
30	Cameron Painter		CM	September 12, 2020	Academy	2020	2021
32	Evan Khouri		CM	September 12, 2020		2019	2021
34	Louis Boyd		CM	September 12, 2020	Academy	2020	2021
37	Kyle Bennett		LW	September 12, 2020	Bristol Rovers (Loan)	2020	2021
38	Idris El Mizouni		CM / AM	September 12, 2020	Ipswich Town (Loan)	2021	2021
39	Ben Davies		CM	September 12, 2020		2020	2021
42	Julien Lamy		LW	September 12, 2020		2021	2021
45	Joe Adams		RW / CM / AM	September 12, 2020	Brentford (Loan)	2021	2021
Attackers
7	Matt Green		ST	September 12, 2020		2019	2021
9	James Hanson		ST	September 12, 2020		2019	2021
12	Montel Gibson		ST	September 12, 2020		2020	2023
16	Ira Jackson Jr		ST	September 12, 2020		2020	2022
17	Alhagi Touray Sisay		ST	???		2020	2021
21	Lenell John-Lewis		ST	September 12, 2020		2021	2022
31	Luis Adlard		ST	September 12, 2020	Academy	2019	2021
40	Stefan Payne		ST	September 12, 2020		2021	2021
Players departed during season
3	Danny Preston		LB	September 12, 2020	Nottingham Forest (Loan)	2020	2021
3	Joe Bunney		LB	September 12, 2020		2021	2021
5	Ludvig Öhman		CB	September 12, 2020	BP	2019	2021
8	Owen Windsor		ST	September 12, 2020	West Brom (Loan)	2020	2021
18	Bilel Mohsni		CB	September 12, 2020		2020	2021
20	Owura Edwards		RW	September 12, 2020	Bristol City (Loan)	2020	2021
21	James Tilley		ST / AM	September 12, 2020		2020	2021
26	Terry Taylor		DM	September 12, 2020	Wolves (loan)	2020	2021
28	Joey Hope		LB	September 12, 2020	Academy	2020	2021
36	James Morton		CM	September 12, 2020	Bristol City (Loan)	2020	2021
38	Virgil Gomis		ST	September 12, 2020	Nottingham Forest (Loan)	2020	2021

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 2020–21 season (12 September).

Competitions

EFL League Two

See main article: 2020–21 EFL League Two.

Matches

The 2020–21 season fixtures were released on 21 August.^[52]

FA Cup

See main article: 2020–21 FA Cup.

The draw for the first round was made on Monday 26, October.^[53]

EFL Cup

See main article: 2020–21 EFL Cup.

The first round draw was made on 18 August, live on Sky Sports, by Paul Merson.^[54]

EFL Trophy

See main article: 2020–21 EFL Trophy.

The regional group stage draw was confirmed on 18 August.^[55]

Notes and References

1. News: Holloway quits as Grimsby Town boss . BBC Sport . British Broadcasting Corporation . 23 December 2020.
2. Web site: Hurst Appointed First Team Manager . Grimsby Town FC . 30 December 2020 . 18 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210118154520/https://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/news/2020/december/hurst-appointed-first-team-manager/ . dead .
3. News: Mohsni Becomes First Summer Signing . 11 August 2020 . . 11 August 2020.
4. News: Grimsby Town sign striker Ira Jackson on busy day at Blundell Park . 11 August 2020 . . 11 August 2020.
5. News: Town Secure Signing Of Gibson . 13 August 2020 . . 13 August 2020.
6. News: Williams Is A Mariner! . 13 August 2020 . . 13 August 2020.
7. News: Sisay Becomes Signing Number Five . 14 August 2020 . . 14 August 2020.
8. News: Rose Becomes Summer Signing Number Six . 31 August 2020 . . 31 August 2020.
9. News: Scannell Joins Town . 2 September 2020 . . 2 September 2020.
10. News: Grimsby Town make fifth signing of the week as non-league midfielder Luke Spokes joins Mariners . 5 September 2020 . . 5 September 2020.
11. Web site: Morais Signs For The Mariners . Grimsby Town FC . 11 December 2020.
12. News: Recap all the latest news as Grimsby Town make first January signing. Grimsbylive. 8 January 2021.
13. News: Grimsby Town sign striker Stefan Payne from Tranmere Rovers . Grimsbylive . 25 January 2021 . Grimsby Live . 25 January 2021.
14. Web site: Bunney Signs Until End Of The Season . Grimsby Town - Official Site . 1 February 2021.
15. News: Grimsby Town sign Lenell John-Lewis from Hereford as striker returns for second spell with Mariners . Grimsbylive . February 2021 . Grimsby Live . 1 February 2021.
16. Web site: Lamy Signs Until End Of The Season . Grimsby Town FC . 6 February 2021.
17. News: Grimsby Town sign experienced midfielder Giles Coke until end of the season . Grimsbylive . 12 February 2021 . Grimsby Live . 12 February 2021.
18. News: Grimsby Town sign highly-rated Nottingham Forest defender Danny Preston on loan . 3 September 2020 . . 3 September 2020.
19. News: Danny Preston announces Grimsby Town departure, latest on Kyle Bennett and rules on Jay Matete recall . 1 February 2021 . . 1 February 2021.
20. News: Robins' Frontman Joins Town . 5 September 2020 . . 5 September 2020.
21. News: Done Deal! Town Complete Terry Taylor Deal . 7 September 2020 . . 7 September 2020.
22. Web site: Mariners Confirm Morton Signing . Grimsby Town FC . 1 October 2020.
23. Web site: Kyle Bennett Completes Loan Move . Bristol Rovers FC . 8 October 2020.
24. Web site: Windsor Joins The Mariners On Loan . Grimsby Town FC . 8 October 2020.
25. News: Owen Windsor returns to West Brom from Grimsby Town as Pierre Fonkeu watches derby win . Grimsbylive . 20 December 2020 . Grimsby Telegraph . 24 December 2020.
26. Web site: Gomis departs on loan . 16 October 2020 . Nottingham Forest FC . 16 October 2020.
27. Web site: Defender joins Grimsby on loan . Mansfield Town FC . 18 January 2021.
28. News: Grimsby Town sign young Fleetwood midfielder on loan. Grimsbylive. 21 January 2021.
29. Web site: Idris Joins Grimsby On Loan . 29 January 2021 . Ipswich Town - Official Site . 29 January 2021.
30. Web site: Joe Adams heads to Grimsby Town on loan . Brentford FC - Official Site . 1 February 2021.
31. News: Sheffield United goalkeeper becomes fourth deadline day signing. Grimsbylive. February 2021.
32. News: Young Duo Depart On Loan . 15 September 2020 . . 15 September 2020.
33. Web site: Duo Join Cleethorpes Town On Short Term Loan . Grimsby Town FC . 9 October 2020.
34. Web site: Battersby Joins Gateshead On Short Term Loan . Grimsby Town FC . 24 December 2020.
35. Web site: Gibson Departs On Short Term Loan . Grimsby Town - Official Site . 2 March 2021 . 1 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210301213224/https://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/news/2021/march/gibson-departs-on-short-term-loan . dead .
36. News: Cardwell Set For Return . 29 June 2020 . . 27 June 2020.
37. Web site: Jordan Cook joins The Heed . Gateshead FC . 22 November 2020 . 1 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201101074639/https://www.gateshead-fc.com/news/jordan-cook-joins-the-heed-2579074.html . dead .
38. News: SIGNING Harry Davis . 2 August 2020 . . 2 August 2020.
39. News: Retained List Announced . 21 May 2020 . . 21 May 2020.
40. News: Crawley sign midfielder Hessenthaler . 1 September 2020 . . 1 September 2020.
41. News: Striker Signs On At Crabble . 7 September 2020 . . 7 September 2020.
42. News: FGR capture exciting attacking midfielder Elliott Whitehouse . 10 August 2020 . . 10 August 2020 . 25 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200925222836/https://www.fgr.co.uk/news/august-2020/signing-fgr-capture-exciting-attacking-midfielder-elliott-whitehouse . dead .
43. News: Clarke joins Bradford for third time . 17 July 2020 . . 17 July 2020.
44. News: Brewers confirm signing of former Derby striker Charles Vernam . 20 July 2020 . Derby Telegraph. 20 July 2020.
45. News: Duo leave Grimsby Town as Holloway eyes up more departures. Grimsbylive. 21 November 2020.
46. Web site: Popular former Southend United defender Bilel Mohsni leaves Grimsby Town . 22 November 2020 . Basildon, Canvey & Southend Echo . 22 November 2020.
47. News: Bilel Mohsni joins National League club and eyes up League Two return after Grimsby Town release . Grimsbylive . 2 December 2020 . Grimsby Telegraph . 3 December 2020.
48. Web site: Tilley Departs By Mutual Consent . Grimsby Town FC . 14 January 2021.
49. Web site: James Tilley Signs For The Reds . Crawley Town FC . 15 January 2021.
50. News: Joe Bunney shares message with Grimsby Town after devastating blow. Grimsbylive. 18 March 2021.
51. Web site: Joey Hope Departs the Mariners.
52. News: Sky Bet League Two fixtures 2020/21 . 21 August 2020 . . 21 August 2020.
53. Web site: EFL League One And Two Clubs Join Emirates FA Cup After Monday's first round Draw . The FA . 28 October 2020.
54. News: Carabao Cup Round One draw confirmed . 18 August 2020 . . 18 August 2020.
55. News: EFL Trophy Regional Groups confirmed . 18 August 2020 . . 18 August 2020.