GTE-E01-S3

3GTE-E01-S32

GTE-

E01-

S3

GRIMSBY Town’s players haveundertaken a Scunny “scoutingmission” – but Paul Hurst knowsenough about the Iron to ignoretheir advice!

A group of the Mariners’ squadheaded to Bootham Crescent last weekto watch the Iron’s League Twoencounter with York City.

Brian Laws’ men were soundly beaten4-1 that evening, but remain on theverge of the play-off places followingS at u rd ay ’s draw at Chesterfield.

And Town boss Hurst isn’t placing toomuch importance on his players’watching brief ahead of Saturday’s FACup derby showdown.

He commented: “I’m not sure I’d trustwhat they have to say anyway!

“We had a quick chat about it the nextday, but we’re not going to put too muchfocus on that.

“I’ve got plenty of footage of Scun-thorpe already – I know the team welland I know that Brian Laws and RussellWilcox will do their homework on us.

“We ’ve also had a couple of goodreserve games and friendlies with eachother recently.

“So we know the players, and some ofthose players who have been involved

in those games will probably playon Saturday.

“For me, Scunthorpe willgo into the game as

favourites – they arethe league side

after all.

“I heard someone say they were strug-gling, but they could have gone joint-topwith a win at York, so I’m not sure that’sthe case. They had a bad result thatnight, but had they won we’d have beentalking differently, so I don’t readanything into that.”

Discounting friendly matches andLincolnshire Senior Cup encounters,the neighbours last met in a 2008 John-stone’s Paint Trophy tie at GlanfordPark, which the hosts won 2-1.

But it is more than 30 years since theirlast FA Cup battle – when goals from JoeWaters and Tony Ford gave theMariners the bragging rights atBlundell Park.

A rare competitive clash with thelocal rivals is certainly a mouth-

watering prospect for Hurst, hisplayers and the Town fans.

“I watched the First Rounddraw at home,” c o n t i nu e d

the Mariners boss. “Ih a d n’t seen what

number we were

or anything like that, but when the tiecame out I was really pleased.

“T here’s only a couple of teams – l i keWolves or Sheffield United – who wouldhave come close.

“But, in Scunthorpe, we’ve obviouslygot a local derby which will create a lotof interest.

“There will be a good buzz, and I thinkit’s a game we’ve got a chance in.

“We spoke briefly about it on the dayof the draw, but I moved quickly to putthat to bed ahead of the league game atWoking. So the focus has been verymuch on that and it’s been put to theback of our minds – until now!”

He continued: “It’s a good draw forboth clubs and both will feelthey’ve got a good chance ofgetting through.

“The perfect scenarioafter that would be toplay Lincoln and thewinners of that get oneof the big boys in theThird Round!”

HURST: WE KNOW WHAT TO EXPECTLifelong Mariners fan GrahamPrecious recalls the last FA Cupmeeting between the derby rivals...THIS weekend’s eagerly awaited FA Cup FirstRound tie against local rivals ScunthorpeUnited took me back to the last time the twoclubs met in the famous competition.

It was a Third Round replay at Blundell Parkfollowing a goalless draw at The Old ShowG ro u n d .

In fact, it was the only time the two clubs haveever been previously drawn together.

However, rather ironically they had beenpaired together only four months earlier in theLeague Cup when Town came out victorious bya 2-1 aggregate score over the two legs.

On the night, Town were seventh in DivisionTwo and the Iron were sixth in Division Four.

In the Fourth Round, an away trip to FirstDivision Ipswich Town awaited the winners,with the Suffolk side’s boss Bobby Fergusonwatching the game at Blundell Park

Town had been managed for the previous 12months by Dave Booth following thecontroversial sacking of George Kerr.

The hosts’ side on the night was one of the bestMariners teams in living memory.

In goal, the legendary Nigel Batch, while DaveMoore (now physio), Dean Crombie, themuch-missed Kevin Moore and John Stonemade up the back four.

The mercurial Joe Waters, Tony Ford, PhilBonnyman and Andy O’Dell were in midfield,with Kevin Drinkell and former Englandinternational Trevor Whymark up front.

Missing were Neil Cooper and Bob Cumming –both suspended.

The first game at Scunthorpe, ten days earlier,had been a tense affair with the Iron creating thebetter chances but Town’s watertight defencebeing their saviour.

This replay immediately burst into life andany late-comers in the 9,509 crowd missed theopening goal after 65 seconds!

Crombie made one of his customary runsdown the left towards the Osmond end and putin an inch-perfect cross to Tony Ford who hit atremendous shot across ‘keeper Joe Neenan, lowinto the bottom far corner of the net.

The Scunthorpe fans behind the goal werestunned – the Pontoon erupted into euphoria!

“The die was cast, and United had to attack”and attack they did “with guts, flair and, notleast skill”, as John Kirkby reported in thefollowing night’s Grimsby Evening Telegraph.

In the 12th minute, the visitors should havebeen level when Martin Fowler laid a ball backon the Scunthorpe left for Noel Parkinson to hita shot from outside the box, which brought out atremendous save from Batch. It fell to strikerSteve Cammack whose shot from the rebound

hit Batch’s leg, rebounded to him again, but flewover the bar from his second attempt.

While Parkinson was creative in the Ironmidfield, Les Hunter and Steve Baines werebusy keeping Drinkell and Whymark quiet.

In the second half, Town came out in no moodto sit back. O’Dell, who had a splendid game,drawing praise from his manager after thegame, hit a rasping 20-yarder forcing Neenan totip the ball over.

Drinkell almost killed the game off when herose above the United defence, only to see hisheader come back off the upright.

The key moment came in the 68th minutewhen right-back Bob Oates handled a cross fromthe right by Ford, and referee Mr Challinor waswell-placed to award a penalty.

Waters never seemed to miss a penalty andsent Neenan the wrong way to increase Town’slead to 2-0.

Scunthorpe threw on George Telfer and weregiven a lifeline in the 77th minute when JohnStone was adjudged to have brought downCammack. The referee stunned everyone byawarding another penalty.

The Scunthorpe fans behind Batch’s goaljumped up and down in delight but whether ornot that had an adverse effect nobody will knowas Parkinson rushed his kick and spooned thespot-kick over the bar!

For the last couple of minutes, future legendPaul Wilkinson came on to taste first-teamfootball as he made his debut for Town.

The Mariners had won comfortably enoughwhile not at their best – and earned my only visitto Portman Road where Town bowed out.

Bring on Saturday!

Waters hits the spot as Marinersdump Iron out at second attempt

AS A Grimsby lad, Mariners legend TonyFord always thought he understood therivalry with Scunthorpe United.

But it wasn’t until his controversial move tothe Iron in 1994 that he realised the truedepth of feeling between the two clubs.

“There is a fierce rivalry there – t h e realways has been and there always will be,”he told the Telegraph.

“I didn’t realise just how big it was until Imoved to Scunthorpe – their fans certainlydidn’t like people coming to their club fromGrimsby!

“Because of my age, I could handle thestick that I got, but for younger lads whomade that move, it might have been quiteh a rd .

“When I was at Grimsby it was always thegames against them and Lincoln that youlooked out for and I don’t think that’schanged.

“They’re the biggest rivals and so to drawone of them in the cup is absolutelyfantastic.”

Like most, Ford is predicting a tight affairwhen the two old rivals meet at Blundell Parkthis weekend.

But he did hint that if pressed, he’d be

backing Town to make it through to theSecond Round and potentially set upanother mouth-watering tie.

“They’re only a league apart from eachother and for me, they’re nearly on a levelplaying field,” he added.

“I think it will be a tight game – I really do –but being at home, I still fancy Town to win.

“If they can do that, then, of course, itopens up the possibility of drawing a bigteam in the Second Round.”

‘Fierce rivalry’ shocked Fordy“WE WANT to ensure that this is a League Twofixture next season because that would meanwe ’ve achieved our goal and they’ve fell short.”

Grimsby Town skipper Craig Disley has joinedthe war of words between the Mariners andScunthorpe United players ahead of Saturday’sFA Cup derby.

The Iron’s Matt Sparrowkicked off the ‘banter’ lastweek – tweeting: “What a drawthat is for the boys! Can’t beat agood old fashioned derby!#awaydays #wehatecodheads”

The midfielder’s remarksunderstandably met a mixedresponse – depending on whichpart of Lincolnshire the tweetsderived from.

“I’ve not seen Matt Sparrow’scomments, but I’m sure it’s alljust ‘f r i e n d ly ’ b a n t e r.

“What I do know is that the Town fans will givehim plenty of stick for it at Blundell Park!

“Regardless, we’ll do our talking on the pitchand have all the bragging rights afterwards.

“It’s going to be a great game and it should be afull house – the fans will turn out in theirnumbers and hopefully we can give them

something to shout about.“Most of us have already played in the Lincoln

derbies, which are pretty massive, but Scunnyare more of a rival than them, so it should bequite an atmosphere.

“We played them pre-season but that’sdifferent. The buzz around thetown has kicked in this weekand we’ll know what it meansto the fans come Saturday.”

The former Bristol Roversmidfielder isn’t looking too farbeyond 1pm on Saturday, but istargeting two more meetingswith the Iron next season.

“It’s great to have a cup run –we saw that last year with theFA Trophy,” he added. “T hatwas fantastic and hopefullythis is just a stepping stone on

the way to Round Three.“Although it is a great distraction for us,

obviously the league is our bread and butter.“We want to ensure that this is a League Two

fixture next season because that would meanwe ’ve achieved our goal and they’ve fell short.

“The rivalry is there for everyone to see and it’sdefinitely a match we’re capable of winning.”

Disley’s League Two derby dream

READ ALL ABOUTIT! Left, the reportwhich appeared inthe GrimsbyEvening Telegraphon January 12, 1983– following theMariners’ FA CupThird Round victoryover ScunthorpeUnited at BlundellPark. Above, thepenalty king JoeWaters was ontarget once again.

FA CUP DERBY SPECIAL

HEAD-TO-HEAD:Grimsby Town bossPaul Hurst, far left,and ScunthorpeUnited managerBrian Laws, right,exchange viewsduring the clubs’recent reserve clashat Glanford Park.Left, Etienne Esajasand Paul Bignotbattle it out.

Pictures: Carl Gac

www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport

Sport onlineRead more sports stories

3GTE-E01-S32

GTE-

E01-

S3

GRIMSBY Town’s players haveundertaken a Scunny “scoutingmission” – but Paul Hurst knowsenough about the Iron to ignoretheir advice!

A group of the Mariners’ squadheaded to Bootham Crescent last weekto watch the Iron’s League Twoencounter with York City.

Brian Laws’ men were soundly beaten4-1 that evening, but remain on theverge of the play-off places followingS at u rd ay ’s draw at Chesterfield.

And Town boss Hurst isn’t placing toomuch importance on his players’watching brief ahead of Saturday’s FACup derby showdown.

He commented: “I’m not sure I’d trustwhat they have to say anyway!

“We had a quick chat about it the nextday, but we’re not going to put too muchfocus on that.

“I’ve got plenty of footage of Scun-thorpe already – I know the team welland I know that Brian Laws and RussellWilcox will do their homework on us.

“We ’ve also had a couple of goodreserve games and friendlies with eachother recently.

“So we know the players, and some ofthose players who have been involved

in those games will probably playon Saturday.

“For me, Scunthorpe willgo into the game as

favourites – they arethe league side

after all.

“I heard someone say they were strug-gling, but they could have gone joint-topwith a win at York, so I’m not sure that’sthe case. They had a bad result thatnight, but had they won we’d have beentalking differently, so I don’t readanything into that.”

Discounting friendly matches andLincolnshire Senior Cup encounters,the neighbours last met in a 2008 John-stone’s Paint Trophy tie at GlanfordPark, which the hosts won 2-1.

But it is more than 30 years since theirlast FA Cup battle – when goals from JoeWaters and Tony Ford gave theMariners the bragging rights atBlundell Park.

A rare competitive clash with thelocal rivals is certainly a mouth-

watering prospect for Hurst, hisplayers and the Town fans.

“I watched the First Rounddraw at home,” c o n t i nu e d

the Mariners boss. “Ih a d n’t seen what

number we were

or anything like that, but when the tiecame out I was really pleased.

“T here’s only a couple of teams – l i keWolves or Sheffield United – who wouldhave come close.

“But, in Scunthorpe, we’ve obviouslygot a local derby which will create a lotof interest.

“There will be a good buzz, and I thinkit’s a game we’ve got a chance in.

“We spoke briefly about it on the dayof the draw, but I moved quickly to putthat to bed ahead of the league game atWoking. So the focus has been verymuch on that and it’s been put to theback of our minds – until now!”

He continued: “It’s a good draw forboth clubs and both will feelthey’ve got a good chance ofgetting through.

“The perfect scenarioafter that would be toplay Lincoln and thewinners of that get oneof the big boys in theThird Round!”

HURST: WE KNOW WHAT TO EXPECTLifelong Mariners fan GrahamPrecious recalls the last FA Cupmeeting between the derby rivals...THIS weekend’s eagerly awaited FA Cup FirstRound tie against local rivals ScunthorpeUnited took me back to the last time the twoclubs met in the famous competition.

It was a Third Round replay at Blundell Parkfollowing a goalless draw at The Old ShowG ro u n d .

In fact, it was the only time the two clubs haveever been previously drawn together.

However, rather ironically they had beenpaired together only four months earlier in theLeague Cup when Town came out victorious bya 2-1 aggregate score over the two legs.

On the night, Town were seventh in DivisionTwo and the Iron were sixth in Division Four.

In the Fourth Round, an away trip to FirstDivision Ipswich Town awaited the winners,with the Suffolk side’s boss Bobby Fergusonwatching the game at Blundell Park

Town had been managed for the previous 12months by Dave Booth following thecontroversial sacking of George Kerr.

The hosts’ side on the night was one of the bestMariners teams in living memory.

In goal, the legendary Nigel Batch, while DaveMoore (now physio), Dean Crombie, themuch-missed Kevin Moore and John Stonemade up the back four.

The mercurial Joe Waters, Tony Ford, PhilBonnyman and Andy O’Dell were in midfield,with Kevin Drinkell and former Englandinternational Trevor Whymark up front.

Missing were Neil Cooper and Bob Cumming –both suspended.

The first game at Scunthorpe, ten days earlier,had been a tense affair with the Iron creating thebetter chances but Town’s watertight defencebeing their saviour.

This replay immediately burst into life andany late-comers in the 9,509 crowd missed theopening goal after 65 seconds!

Crombie made one of his customary runsdown the left towards the Osmond end and putin an inch-perfect cross to Tony Ford who hit atremendous shot across ‘keeper Joe Neenan, lowinto the bottom far corner of the net.

The Scunthorpe fans behind the goal werestunned – the Pontoon erupted into euphoria!

“The die was cast, and United had to attack”and attack they did “with guts, flair and, notleast skill”, as John Kirkby reported in thefollowing night’s Grimsby Evening Telegraph.

In the 12th minute, the visitors should havebeen level when Martin Fowler laid a ball backon the Scunthorpe left for Noel Parkinson to hita shot from outside the box, which brought out atremendous save from Batch. It fell to strikerSteve Cammack whose shot from the rebound

hit Batch’s leg, rebounded to him again, but flewover the bar from his second attempt.

While Parkinson was creative in the Ironmidfield, Les Hunter and Steve Baines werebusy keeping Drinkell and Whymark quiet.

In the second half, Town came out in no moodto sit back. O’Dell, who had a splendid game,drawing praise from his manager after thegame, hit a rasping 20-yarder forcing Neenan totip the ball over.

Drinkell almost killed the game off when herose above the United defence, only to see hisheader come back off the upright.

The key moment came in the 68th minutewhen right-back Bob Oates handled a cross fromthe right by Ford, and referee Mr Challinor waswell-placed to award a penalty.

Waters never seemed to miss a penalty andsent Neenan the wrong way to increase Town’slead to 2-0.

Scunthorpe threw on George Telfer and weregiven a lifeline in the 77th minute when JohnStone was adjudged to have brought downCammack. The referee stunned everyone byawarding another penalty.

The Scunthorpe fans behind Batch’s goaljumped up and down in delight but whether ornot that had an adverse effect nobody will knowas Parkinson rushed his kick and spooned thespot-kick over the bar!

For the last couple of minutes, future legendPaul Wilkinson came on to taste first-teamfootball as he made his debut for Town.

The Mariners had won comfortably enoughwhile not at their best – and earned my only visitto Portman Road where Town bowed out.

Bring on Saturday!

Waters hits the spot as Marinersdump Iron out at second attempt

AS A Grimsby lad, Mariners legend TonyFord always thought he understood therivalry with Scunthorpe United.

But it wasn’t until his controversial move tothe Iron in 1994 that he realised the truedepth of feeling between the two clubs.

“There is a fierce rivalry there – t h e realways has been and there always will be,”he told the Telegraph.

“I didn’t realise just how big it was until Imoved to Scunthorpe – their fans certainlydidn’t like people coming to their club fromGrimsby!

“Because of my age, I could handle thestick that I got, but for younger lads whomade that move, it might have been quiteh a rd .

“When I was at Grimsby it was always thegames against them and Lincoln that youlooked out for and I don’t think that’schanged.

“They’re the biggest rivals and so to drawone of them in the cup is absolutelyfantastic.”

Like most, Ford is predicting a tight affairwhen the two old rivals meet at Blundell Parkthis weekend.

But he did hint that if pressed, he’d be

backing Town to make it through to theSecond Round and potentially set upanother mouth-watering tie.

“They’re only a league apart from eachother and for me, they’re nearly on a levelplaying field,” he added.

“I think it will be a tight game – I really do –but being at home, I still fancy Town to win.

“If they can do that, then, of course, itopens up the possibility of drawing a bigteam in the Second Round.”

‘Fierce rivalry’ shocked Fordy“WE WANT to ensure that this is a League Twofixture next season because that would meanwe ’ve achieved our goal and they’ve fell short.”

Grimsby Town skipper Craig Disley has joinedthe war of words between the Mariners andScunthorpe United players ahead of Saturday’sFA Cup derby.

The Iron’s Matt Sparrowkicked off the ‘banter’ lastweek – tweeting: “What a drawthat is for the boys! Can’t beat agood old fashioned derby!#awaydays #wehatecodheads”

The midfielder’s remarksunderstandably met a mixedresponse – depending on whichpart of Lincolnshire the tweetsderived from.

“I’ve not seen Matt Sparrow’scomments, but I’m sure it’s alljust ‘f r i e n d ly ’ b a n t e r.

“What I do know is that the Town fans will givehim plenty of stick for it at Blundell Park!

“Regardless, we’ll do our talking on the pitchand have all the bragging rights afterwards.

“It’s going to be a great game and it should be afull house – the fans will turn out in theirnumbers and hopefully we can give them

something to shout about.“Most of us have already played in the Lincoln

derbies, which are pretty massive, but Scunnyare more of a rival than them, so it should bequite an atmosphere.

“We played them pre-season but that’sdifferent. The buzz around thetown has kicked in this weekand we’ll know what it meansto the fans come Saturday.”

The former Bristol Roversmidfielder isn’t looking too farbeyond 1pm on Saturday, but istargeting two more meetingswith the Iron next season.

“It’s great to have a cup run –we saw that last year with theFA Trophy,” he added. “T hatwas fantastic and hopefullythis is just a stepping stone on

the way to Round Three.“Although it is a great distraction for us,

obviously the league is our bread and butter.“We want to ensure that this is a League Two

fixture next season because that would meanwe ’ve achieved our goal and they’ve fell short.

“The rivalry is there for everyone to see and it’sdefinitely a match we’re capable of winning.”

Disley’s League Two derby dream

READ ALL ABOUTIT! Left, the reportwhich appeared inthe GrimsbyEvening Telegraphon January 12, 1983– following theMariners’ FA CupThird Round victoryover ScunthorpeUnited at BlundellPark. Above, thepenalty king JoeWaters was ontarget once again.

FA CUP DERBY SPECIAL

HEAD-TO-HEAD:Grimsby Town bossPaul Hurst, far left,and ScunthorpeUnited managerBrian Laws, right,exchange viewsduring the clubs’recent reserve clashat Glanford Park.Left, Etienne Esajasand Paul Bignotbattle it out.

Pictures: Carl Gac

www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport

Sport onlineRead more sports stories

5STE-E01-S44

STE-

E01-

S4

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Above,everyone stops to watch as Grimsbyskipper Paul Groves controls the ballduring the Auto Windscreens cup-tieagainst Scunthorpe United at GlanfordPark in 1998.

FA CUP DERBY SPECIAL

A RIVALRY THAT HAS STOOD FOR DECADES

CROWDED OUT: Below,Scunthorpe pack their penaltybox as Grimsby’s Richardsontries a header from a corner.

Above from left; Andy Crosby, left, and SamTogwell celebrate after the latter scored in theJohnstone’s Paint Trophy tie with the Mariners in2008; Rob Jones keeps his eyes on the ball as hetries to break away from the legs of Scunthorpe’sLee Ridley.

AERIAL BATTLES: Above, Scunthorpe’s Angus Davidson, centre, tries to beat the Town defence. Below,a calamitous incident which led to Scunthorpe scoring their second in a 2004 game. Pictured are, fromleft, Grimsby’s Dean Gordon, Justin Whittle and Anthony Williams.

1998

2004

1956

2013

1975

2005

2008

1954 2008

SPOT KICK WOE: This was the scene from Blundell Park’s main stand as Town’s BobCrosbie misses with his penalty. Scunthorpe keeper Peter Marshall anticipated correctlyby diving at full stretch to his left, but the ball sailed wide of the post.

2002FLASHBACK: Town striker Phil Jevonsdrives forward, despite the attentions

of Scunthorpe’s Nathan Stanton duringa match at Glanford Park. Below,

Paddy McLaughlin slides in during thisyear’s pre-season clash.

BACK OF THE NET: Scunthorpe’s HarryLamb and Norman Malan are left helpless asRay Harrison’s shot finds the bottom corner.

1962 RIFLED: Town’s Johnny Scott blasts home an 87th-minutepenalty. Scunthorpe keeper Ken Jones starts to move, butthe speed of the shot beats him as the Mariners win 3-0.

TRUE GRIT: Town’s MartinGritton escapes a tacklefrom Andy Crosby as CliffByrne runs in during aLeague Two clash eightyears ago.

GET IN: Nick Hegarty fires home a consolation inScunthorpe’s 2-1 win in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

2005

1956

5STE-E01-S44

STE-

E01-

S4

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Above,everyone stops to watch as Grimsbyskipper Paul Groves controls the ballduring the Auto Windscreens cup-tieagainst Scunthorpe United at GlanfordPark in 1998.

FA CUP DERBY SPECIAL

A RIVALRY THAT HAS STOOD FOR DECADES

CROWDED OUT: Below,Scunthorpe pack their penaltybox as Grimsby’s Richardsontries a header from a corner.

Above from left; Andy Crosby, left, and SamTogwell celebrate after the latter scored in theJohnstone’s Paint Trophy tie with the Mariners in2008; Rob Jones keeps his eyes on the ball as hetries to break away from the legs of Scunthorpe’sLee Ridley.

AERIAL BATTLES: Above, Scunthorpe’s Angus Davidson, centre, tries to beat the Town defence. Below,a calamitous incident which led to Scunthorpe scoring their second in a 2004 game. Pictured are, fromleft, Grimsby’s Dean Gordon, Justin Whittle and Anthony Williams.

1998

2004

1956

2013

1975

2005

2008

1954 2008

SPOT KICK WOE: This was the scene from Blundell Park’s main stand as Town’s BobCrosbie misses with his penalty. Scunthorpe keeper Peter Marshall anticipated correctlyby diving at full stretch to his left, but the ball sailed wide of the post.

2002FLASHBACK: Town striker Phil Jevonsdrives forward, despite the attentions

of Scunthorpe’s Nathan Stanton duringa match at Glanford Park. Below,

Paddy McLaughlin slides in during thisyear’s pre-season clash.

BACK OF THE NET: Scunthorpe’s HarryLamb and Norman Malan are left helpless asRay Harrison’s shot finds the bottom corner.

1962 RIFLED: Town’s Johnny Scott blasts home an 87th-minutepenalty. Scunthorpe keeper Ken Jones starts to move, butthe speed of the shot beats him as the Mariners win 3-0.

TRUE GRIT: Town’s MartinGritton escapes a tacklefrom Andy Crosby as CliffByrne runs in during aLeague Two clash eightyears ago.

GET IN: Nick Hegarty fires home a consolation inScunthorpe’s 2-1 win in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

2005

1956

7GTE-E01-S36

GTE-

E01-

S3

AS A man who has represented both clubs,George Kerr knows more than most aboutthe passion of a Grimsby Town v Scun-thorpe United derby.

Kerr spent six years as a player with Scun-thorpe in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beforegoing on to taste success as manager ofG r i m s by.

Both periods featured regular games betweenthe northern Lincolnshire rivals, which issomething fans are not as accustomed to now.

But despite meetings being rarer these days,the Scotsman said he expected Saturday’s FACup first round derby to be as fiercely contestedas ever.

He said: “My opinion is it will be a crackinggame because it is a local derby.

“Failure for either side to produce their bestwo n’t go down at all well, so I expect the playersto be self-primed to produce their best, whichwill make for an entertaining game.”

Kerr, who has watched both clubs in his radioco-commentary role this season, said he wouldnot read anything into Scunthorpe’s higherdivision status.

He said: “There is not much differencebetween the Conference league and the divisionScunthorpe are in.

“It is not a certainty by any means thatGrimsby are going to win it or Scunthorpe aregoing to win it.

“If Scunthorpe come with the intention ofwinning it and they are flat out, then they aregoing to be a difficult side to beat for Grimsby.

“If any of them step down from the top of theirgame, they are liable to get beat.

“I don’t think you can take it from a Scun-thorpe point of view as an easy game and I amquite sure they won’t be allowed to.”

Kerr was part of the Scunthorpe side whichwon promotion from the old Division Four in1971-72.

But he said in his time at the Old ShowGround, it was Grimsby who had the upperhand in derbies.

He said: “The games I remember were thegames against Lawrie McMememy’s side.

“In that season, we got promoted but when wecame up against Lawrie McMememy’s side, theywere top dogs.

“They won the championship that season andwe finished third, which was good enough to getp ro m o t e d .

“They were really competitive games and inthose days, Grimsby were a large side in thefourth division as was.

“They had a really good side with some reallygood, honest players.”

Kerr said he was looking forward to a goodatmosphere being created on Saturday at whatshould be a packed Blundell Park.

He said: “There will be a big crowd and they

have been queuing up for their tickets atGrimsby. There is a keen anticipation and thefans are full of it.

“If Grimsby win, they are going to be top dogsfor as long as it takes for the next one to come.

“It is going to tell the supporters of Grimsbyhow well they are doing this season.

“There is quite a bit of quality in the Scun-thorpe side and if they can beat that sort ofquality, the remainder of their season might bequite successful.

“If Scunthorpe win, you have always got it inyour mind that if you beat a Conference side, youare facing a lucky home draw and then you areinto the big stuff.”

By George, here’s a man whoknows what derbies are about

FA CUP DERBY SPECIAL

IT IS the classic FA Cup tale, withmore than a passing resemblance to anursery rhyme. The butcher passes tothe baker, whose cross is headed inby the candlestick-maker.

Scunthorpe United’s former roofer mayhave missed the opportunity to have his“day job”, for want of a better phrase,plastered alongside any headline he maywrite for match-winning exploits, but hecan still dream of a giant-killing.

S at u rd ay ’s game against Grimsby Townrepresents a first for Hawkridge, whoseroute to the Football League includesSaturday afternoons cutting his teeth ingrounds in the shadow of disused pit millsrather than the pomp of Premier Leaguea c a d e m i e s.

Not only is it his first FA Cup game as aprofessional, following his summerswitch from Gainsborough Trinity, it willalso be the winger’s first experience of thefirst round proper.

The second qualifying round is the fur-thest he has progressed previously.

Not though that Hawkridge, whoworked alongside his uncle in betweenTrinity training twice a week up until hemade the switch from the Northolme, willforget his past.

“When I was at Gainsborough, and be-fore, at Carlton, I was working with myuncle doing roofing,” said the2 3 - ye a r- o l d .

“He always says to me now when I go seehim ‘now you know it’s better to be afo o t b a l l e r ’.

“It’s always good to look at where you’vecome from and what you used to do.

“A lot of players go through the academyand stuff. I’ve come through the ranks –I’ve worked my way up.

“I think Sam Slocombe did the same. It’sgood whatever way you make, but it helpsme keep my feet on the ground.”

Hawkridge may only have been at Glan-ford Park for a matter of months, but therivalry between Scunthorpe and Grimsbyis not lost on the winger.

He insists no member of the Unitedline-up that is given the opportunity to

earn the Iron a first win at BlundellPark in 44 years will underestimate

the pride at stake.But while determined to thrive off what

he anticipates being the biggest crowdand best atmosphere he has played infront of, Hawkridge also has one eye onwhat progress could potentially meanfurther down the line.

“We don’t need telling how importantSaturday is – we already know what itmeans to the fans and the club,” headded.

“The FA Cup is a good cup to be in. If wecan see off Grimsby, hopefully we can geta good draw and try to carry that on interms of a cup run.

“The money side of things obviouslyhelps the club but more for the playersand the fans it would be good to win thegame on Saturday.

“I know the club has had some goodruns in the past and it would be good forus to try to do it again.

“I think it’s going to be a tough game.The atmosphere will be good but Grimsbyare a good side so we can’t go therethinking it’s going to be easy.

“It’s a break from the league but it’s abig game for us and the fans. We’ll beready for it.

“Since I have been here, these have beenthe biggest crowds I’ve played in front of.When you’ve got an atmosphere it givesyou more of a buzz so it will be good. Youhave to thrive off that as a player.

“To have that noise of people pushingyou on, it’s good. It helps a lot.”

In and out of the Scunthorpe startingline-up in recent weeks, Hawkridge hopesto be part of the Iron team on Saturday –though he is pragmatic about hisfirst-team place.

“It has been frustrating and it hasn’t(not to have started ever game). I knowmyself I haven’t been performing to thelevel I can,” added the winger.

“On the whole I think it’s been goingwell. Obviously when I first came in thetraining was hard – I’d only been used totraining twice a week.

“It’s been good, but I know it’s a longseason. I’ve got to keep my head up andkeep performing.”

The former roofer will keep a lid on hisself confidence.

IRON legend Paul Hayes is backing hisformer side to get the win against rivalsGrimsby in Saturday’s FA Cup clash.

The man who scored both goals the lasttime the two sides met in the league atGlanford Park remembers the moment –nine years ago yesterday – clearly

“There was such a massive build-up to thegame, it was the first time we’d played themin a long time and they’d always been aboveus in the league,” he said.

“There was a real buzz around the place, itwas a sell-out and the atmosphere wasi n c re d i b l e .

“For the first goal we got a free kick andtook it quickly, it got whipped in and I wasable to get on the end of it.

“The second was a beautiful goal, the kindyou love to score against your local rivals.

“It was a ball over the top, they all ran intoeach other and I just tapped it in, it was oneof the easiest goals I’ve ever scored and thecrowd loved it.”

Now playing for Brentford, Hayes backedan Iron win for Saturday, and showed hisconfidence in the current crop ofScunthorpe players.

“It is the FA Cup and anything can happen,

but if Scunthorpe have the right attitudethey’ll come through.

“It’ll be different because this time it’sGrimsby who are having the hard time, butthe management at Glanford Park and theold heads they’ve got there will make surethey’re in the right frame of mind.

“My head and my heart say Scunthorpe, Ijust can’t see Grimsby winning.”

‘Derby atmosphere was incredible’

T E R R Y H O P E S TO RAISE ROOF

Iron set to make it countBRIAN Laws hopes his side’sstrength at set pieces can help togive them the edge in Saturday’scup battle.

Luke Waterfall’s header fromTerry Hawkridge’s free-kickduring last weekend’s League Two

draw at Chesterfield was the fifthgoal this season the Iron have

scored from a set play –amounting to almost athird of their total leaguet a l ly.It is an area to which

manager Laws has devotedplenty of focus.

“I’ve always analysed set playsas being one of the key elements ofa successful side,” said the Unitedmanager, whose side head toBlundell Park on Saturday.

“You look over the leagues,particularly in the lower leagues,one in three goals is a set play andwe average between 250 and 300 setplays in a season.

“To dismiss them is the wrong

thing to do, to work on them isimportant. You can’t identify acertain player because there arefive or six involved in a move.They can all contribute.

“If you can take advantage ofthem, you can win games withthem.

“We have practised them and wework on them extremely well.

“The players have a reallygood understanding with whatwe are trying to achieve atthem.

“You have to have players thatare prepared to attack the ball andI think we have that.

“If we get the delivery right, Ialways think we’d score a goal at aset play and we’ve done very wellso far. Long may that continue.”

The Scunthorpe manager added:“If you can stay solid, you mightbe able to nick a goal through a setplay and win a game.

“If that game happens to beagainst Grimsby, we’ll take it.”

But he was unsure which team would come outon top on the day.

He said: “I am piggy in the middle so I am beingcareful what I say. It is about two teams going atit hammer and tongs and may the best teamwin.

“I hate the expression ‘bragging rights’ but theteam that wins has got the boasting to do andthis is what makes the local situation so com-p e t i t ive. ”

FAMOUS FA CUP DAY: George, fourth left, celebrates in the Scunthorpe United dressing room after the club’s famous 2-1win at Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup fourth round in January 1970. Among the Iron players celebrating is KevinKeegan, far right

HAPPY DAYS: George Kerr as Grimsby Town manager in1980

‘BEAUTIFUL GOAL’: Paul Hayes scores the secondgoal in Scunthorpe United‘s 2-0 derby win againstGrimsby Town in November 2004. Hayes had only toroll the ball into an empty net after a defensivemix-up between the visiting players

ON THE BALL: Terry Hawkridgeruns at the Grimsby Town defenceduring Scunthorpe United’s 3-0Lincolnshire Cup win over GrimsbyTown in pre-season

7GTE-E01-S36

GTE-

E01-

S3

AS A man who has represented both clubs,George Kerr knows more than most aboutthe passion of a Grimsby Town v Scun-thorpe United derby.

Kerr spent six years as a player with Scun-thorpe in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beforegoing on to taste success as manager ofG r i m s by.

Both periods featured regular games betweenthe northern Lincolnshire rivals, which issomething fans are not as accustomed to now.

But despite meetings being rarer these days,the Scotsman said he expected Saturday’s FACup first round derby to be as fiercely contestedas ever.

He said: “My opinion is it will be a crackinggame because it is a local derby.

“Failure for either side to produce their bestwo n’t go down at all well, so I expect the playersto be self-primed to produce their best, whichwill make for an entertaining game.”

Kerr, who has watched both clubs in his radioco-commentary role this season, said he wouldnot read anything into Scunthorpe’s higherdivision status.

He said: “There is not much differencebetween the Conference league and the divisionScunthorpe are in.

“It is not a certainty by any means thatGrimsby are going to win it or Scunthorpe aregoing to win it.

“If Scunthorpe come with the intention ofwinning it and they are flat out, then they aregoing to be a difficult side to beat for Grimsby.

“If any of them step down from the top of theirgame, they are liable to get beat.

“I don’t think you can take it from a Scun-thorpe point of view as an easy game and I amquite sure they won’t be allowed to.”

Kerr was part of the Scunthorpe side whichwon promotion from the old Division Four in1971-72.

But he said in his time at the Old ShowGround, it was Grimsby who had the upperhand in derbies.

He said: “The games I remember were thegames against Lawrie McMememy’s side.

“In that season, we got promoted but when wecame up against Lawrie McMememy’s side, theywere top dogs.

“They won the championship that season andwe finished third, which was good enough to getp ro m o t e d .

“They were really competitive games and inthose days, Grimsby were a large side in thefourth division as was.

“They had a really good side with some reallygood, honest players.”

Kerr said he was looking forward to a goodatmosphere being created on Saturday at whatshould be a packed Blundell Park.

He said: “There will be a big crowd and they

have been queuing up for their tickets atGrimsby. There is a keen anticipation and thefans are full of it.

“If Grimsby win, they are going to be top dogsfor as long as it takes for the next one to come.

“It is going to tell the supporters of Grimsbyhow well they are doing this season.

“There is quite a bit of quality in the Scun-thorpe side and if they can beat that sort ofquality, the remainder of their season might bequite successful.

“If Scunthorpe win, you have always got it inyour mind that if you beat a Conference side, youare facing a lucky home draw and then you areinto the big stuff.”

By George, here’s a man whoknows what derbies are about

FA CUP DERBY SPECIAL

IT IS the classic FA Cup tale, withmore than a passing resemblance to anursery rhyme. The butcher passes tothe baker, whose cross is headed inby the candlestick-maker.

Scunthorpe United’s former roofer mayhave missed the opportunity to have his“day job”, for want of a better phrase,plastered alongside any headline he maywrite for match-winning exploits, but hecan still dream of a giant-killing.

S at u rd ay ’s game against Grimsby Townrepresents a first for Hawkridge, whoseroute to the Football League includesSaturday afternoons cutting his teeth ingrounds in the shadow of disused pit millsrather than the pomp of Premier Leaguea c a d e m i e s.

Not only is it his first FA Cup game as aprofessional, following his summerswitch from Gainsborough Trinity, it willalso be the winger’s first experience of thefirst round proper.

The second qualifying round is the fur-thest he has progressed previously.

Not though that Hawkridge, whoworked alongside his uncle in betweenTrinity training twice a week up until hemade the switch from the Northolme, willforget his past.

“When I was at Gainsborough, and be-fore, at Carlton, I was working with myuncle doing roofing,” said the2 3 - ye a r- o l d .

“He always says to me now when I go seehim ‘now you know it’s better to be afo o t b a l l e r ’.

“It’s always good to look at where you’vecome from and what you used to do.

“A lot of players go through the academyand stuff. I’ve come through the ranks –I’ve worked my way up.

“I think Sam Slocombe did the same. It’sgood whatever way you make, but it helpsme keep my feet on the ground.”

Hawkridge may only have been at Glan-ford Park for a matter of months, but therivalry between Scunthorpe and Grimsbyis not lost on the winger.

He insists no member of the Unitedline-up that is given the opportunity to

earn the Iron a first win at BlundellPark in 44 years will underestimate

the pride at stake.But while determined to thrive off what

he anticipates being the biggest crowdand best atmosphere he has played infront of, Hawkridge also has one eye onwhat progress could potentially meanfurther down the line.

“We don’t need telling how importantSaturday is – we already know what itmeans to the fans and the club,” headded.

“The FA Cup is a good cup to be in. If wecan see off Grimsby, hopefully we can geta good draw and try to carry that on interms of a cup run.

“The money side of things obviouslyhelps the club but more for the playersand the fans it would be good to win thegame on Saturday.

“I know the club has had some goodruns in the past and it would be good forus to try to do it again.

“I think it’s going to be a tough game.The atmosphere will be good but Grimsbyare a good side so we can’t go therethinking it’s going to be easy.

“It’s a break from the league but it’s abig game for us and the fans. We’ll beready for it.

“Since I have been here, these have beenthe biggest crowds I’ve played in front of.When you’ve got an atmosphere it givesyou more of a buzz so it will be good. Youhave to thrive off that as a player.

“To have that noise of people pushingyou on, it’s good. It helps a lot.”

In and out of the Scunthorpe startingline-up in recent weeks, Hawkridge hopesto be part of the Iron team on Saturday –though he is pragmatic about hisfirst-team place.

“It has been frustrating and it hasn’t(not to have started ever game). I knowmyself I haven’t been performing to thelevel I can,” added the winger.

“On the whole I think it’s been goingwell. Obviously when I first came in thetraining was hard – I’d only been used totraining twice a week.

“It’s been good, but I know it’s a longseason. I’ve got to keep my head up andkeep performing.”

The former roofer will keep a lid on hisself confidence.

IRON legend Paul Hayes is backing hisformer side to get the win against rivalsGrimsby in Saturday’s FA Cup clash.

The man who scored both goals the lasttime the two sides met in the league atGlanford Park remembers the moment –nine years ago yesterday – clearly

“There was such a massive build-up to thegame, it was the first time we’d played themin a long time and they’d always been aboveus in the league,” he said.

“There was a real buzz around the place, itwas a sell-out and the atmosphere wasi n c re d i b l e .

“For the first goal we got a free kick andtook it quickly, it got whipped in and I wasable to get on the end of it.

“The second was a beautiful goal, the kindyou love to score against your local rivals.

“It was a ball over the top, they all ran intoeach other and I just tapped it in, it was oneof the easiest goals I’ve ever scored and thecrowd loved it.”

Now playing for Brentford, Hayes backedan Iron win for Saturday, and showed hisconfidence in the current crop ofScunthorpe players.

“It is the FA Cup and anything can happen,

but if Scunthorpe have the right attitudethey’ll come through.

“It’ll be different because this time it’sGrimsby who are having the hard time, butthe management at Glanford Park and theold heads they’ve got there will make surethey’re in the right frame of mind.

“My head and my heart say Scunthorpe, Ijust can’t see Grimsby winning.”

‘Derby atmosphere was incredible’

T E R R Y H O P E S TO RAISE ROOF

Iron set to make it countBRIAN Laws hopes his side’sstrength at set pieces can help togive them the edge in Saturday’scup battle.

Luke Waterfall’s header fromTerry Hawkridge’s free-kickduring last weekend’s League Two

draw at Chesterfield was the fifthgoal this season the Iron have

scored from a set play –amounting to almost athird of their total leaguet a l ly.It is an area to which

manager Laws has devotedplenty of focus.

“I’ve always analysed set playsas being one of the key elements ofa successful side,” said the Unitedmanager, whose side head toBlundell Park on Saturday.

“You look over the leagues,particularly in the lower leagues,one in three goals is a set play andwe average between 250 and 300 setplays in a season.

“To dismiss them is the wrong

thing to do, to work on them isimportant. You can’t identify acertain player because there arefive or six involved in a move.They can all contribute.

“If you can take advantage ofthem, you can win games withthem.

“We have practised them and wework on them extremely well.

“The players have a reallygood understanding with whatwe are trying to achieve atthem.

“You have to have players thatare prepared to attack the ball andI think we have that.

“If we get the delivery right, Ialways think we’d score a goal at aset play and we’ve done very wellso far. Long may that continue.”

The Scunthorpe manager added:“If you can stay solid, you mightbe able to nick a goal through a setplay and win a game.

“If that game happens to beagainst Grimsby, we’ll take it.”

But he was unsure which team would come outon top on the day.

He said: “I am piggy in the middle so I am beingcareful what I say. It is about two teams going atit hammer and tongs and may the best teamwin.

“I hate the expression ‘bragging rights’ but theteam that wins has got the boasting to do andthis is what makes the local situation so com-p e t i t ive. ”

FAMOUS FA CUP DAY: George, fourth left, celebrates in the Scunthorpe United dressing room after the club’s famous 2-1win at Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup fourth round in January 1970. Among the Iron players celebrating is KevinKeegan, far right

HAPPY DAYS: George Kerr as Grimsby Town manager in1980

‘BEAUTIFUL GOAL’: Paul Hayes scores the secondgoal in Scunthorpe United‘s 2-0 derby win againstGrimsby Town in November 2004. Hayes had only toroll the ball into an empty net after a defensivemix-up between the visiting players

ON THE BALL: Terry Hawkridgeruns at the Grimsby Town defenceduring Scunthorpe United’s 3-0Lincolnshire Cup win over GrimsbyTown in pre-season

STE-

E01-

S4 8

FA CUP DERBY SPECIAL

MASCOTS GO HEAD TO HEAD!LET BATTLE COMMENCE! GrimsbyTown mascot Mighty Mariner and hisScunthorpe United opposite numberScunny Bunny have been warming upfor the FA Cup derby at Blundell Parkthis week. Viking FM organised aseries of challenges between the pair –including a conker fight/throw andcracker-pulling competition. The Townmascot took the honours in the first ofthe challenges, above – could that bean omen ahead of Saturday’sshowdown on the pitch?

Pictures: Jon Corken