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Taking on the powerhouses: Grimsby’s golden age in the FA Cup

I t’s hard to know what, in the year 2023, looks more far-fetched. That when Grimsby play Brighton on Sunday they will be attempting to reach the club’s third FA Cup semi-final, not the first; or that the previous runs to the last four, which included wins over Manchester City and Chelsea, had nothing to do with David or Goliath.

Grimsby’s semi-final appearances in 1936 and 1939 were highlights of the greatest period in the club’s history. From 1929–48, including a break for the second world war, they spent 10 out of 12 seasons in the top flight. All three of Grimsby’s England internationals were capped in that time: the inside-forward Jackie Bestall (described in this paper as an “artful dodger and constructive genius”), the goalkeeper George Tweedy and the inspirational centre-back Harry Betmead each made a single appearance between 1935 and 1937.

Only two powerhouses of English football – and, in one case, some grotesque ill fortune – stopped Grimsby reaching Wembley. Their first Cup run took place the season after they had finished fifth, the club’s highest-ever league position. After beating Hartlepool and Port Vale, Grimsby were drawn at home to Manchester City in the fifth round. Within 15 months City would be champions for the first time, but to describe this game as a meeting of equals would have been generous only to City: Grimsby were 10th, City 16th.

Grimsby’s stirring 3-2 win at Blundell Park was among the best FA Cup matches of the decade, one that had highfalutin reporters rhapsodising about the quality of play and the sportsmanship. City’s second equaliser, a stylish team goal scored by John McLeod, led to the lustiest cheer of the day – and that was from the Grimsby fans. This paper said that the two

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