How did they do last season?
The Mariners improved by one place on the previous season, finishing 17th with 16 wins. They beat Reds 1-0 at Blundell Park last November but Crawley avenged that loss with a 2-1 success in March.
Who’s in charge?
Michael Jolley will be starting his second full season in charge in August. Having coached in Scotland, Sweden and with Burnley u-23s, he got his first break in management when he took over at Blundell Park in March 2018. He picked up 15 points from ten games to lead the Mariners to League Two safety and has a 36% win ratio in his 63 games in charge.
Who’s left?
Jolley released four players at the end of last season including ex-Reds’ striker Wes Thomas along with Danny Collins, Danny Collins, Martyn Woolford and JJ Hooper.
Who’s coming and who might be?
Jolley has beefed up his attacking options for the new season with three new strikers signed in former Mansfield man Matt Green, ex-Bradford and AFC Wimbledon forward James Hanson and Moses Ogbu, who has had two spells in Sweden and also played in the United Arab Emirates. Their other new arrival is former Notts County midfielder Elliott Hewitt.
How is their pre-season shaping up?
Grimsby face Doncaster Rovers and Peterborough United, both at home, as well as four non-league sides in pre-season. They have also been drawn at home to Doncaster in the Carabao Cup. Their League 2 opener is at Morecambe and their first home match is against relegated Bradford City. They entertain Reds on December 29 and we host the Mariners on January 25.
