1997–98 Grimsby Town F.C. season

The 1997–98 season saw the return of Alan Buckley as manager, after an unsuccessful period at West Bromwich Albion, for Grimsby's most successful post-war season. In the summer of 1997, Buckley succeeded in bringing in players to the club who were to be instrumental in the club's upcoming season. Former skipper Paul Groves was re-signed from West Bromwich Albion, and Kevin Donovan and David Smith also joined the club from Albion. The mid-season capture of Huddersfield Town midfielder Wayne Burnett proved to be a great bit of business for Buckley. After a seemingly poor start to the League campaign, performances improved, which propelled the club into a promotion battle with Watford, Bristol City and an expensively assembled Fulham (at the time the only club at this level to have spent seven-figure sums on players). A good run in the League Cup saw The Mariners knock holders Leicester City and fellow Premier League side Sheffield Wednesday out of the competition before finally losing out to Liverpool. A decent run of form had ignited the careers of such younger players as Daryl Clare, Danny Butterfield and Jack Lester who were becoming an integral part of the Blundell Park set-up. The Mariners went on to dump Burnley out of the Football League Trophy Northern section area final, which would see the club book its first trip to Wembley Stadium.^[1] The club were drawn against Southern section champions AFC Bournemouth and in a tight game, an equaliser from substitute Kingsley Black took the game into extra time, and in the 112th minute Grimsby secured the game courtesy of a golden goal from Wayne Burnett.^[1] This was the first major trophy awarded to the club following its first appearance at Wembley. It took only four weeks for Grimsby to return to the stadium though, this time to face Northampton Town in the Division Two Play Off Final.^[1] Town won the game 1–0 thanks to a first half Kevin Donovan goal which gave the club a historic Wembley double and The Mariners promotion back to Division One.^[1]

Final league table

Main article: 1997-98 Football League

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Watford	46	13	7	3	36	22	11	9	3	31	19	67	41	+26	88
2	Bristol City	46	16	5	2	41	17	9	5	9	28	22	69	39	+30	85
3	Grimsby Town	46	11	7	5	30	14	8	8	7	25	23	55	37	+18	72
4	Northampton Town	46	14	5	4	33	17	4	12	7	19	20	52	37	+15	71
5	Bristol Rovers	46	13	2	8	43	33	7	8	8	27	31	70	64	+6	70
6	Fulham	46	12	7	4	31	14	8	3	12	29	29	60	43	+17	70
7	Wrexham	46	10	10	3	31	23	8	6	9	24	28	55	51	+4	70
8	Gillingham	46	13	7	3	30	18	6	6	11	22	29	52	47	+5	70
9	Bournemouth	46	11	8	4	28	15	7	4	12	29	37	57	52	+5	66
10	Chesterfield	46	13	7	3	31	19	3	10	10	15	25	46	44	+2	65
11	Wigan Athletic	46	12	5	6	41	31	5	6	12	23	35	64	66	–2	62
12	Blackpool	46	13	6	4	35	24	4	5	14	24	43	59	67	–8	62
13	Oldham Athletic	46	13	7	3	43	23	2	9	12	19	31	62	54	+8	61
14	Wycombe Wanderers	46	10	10	3	32	20	4	8	11	19	33	51	53	–2	60
15	Preston North End	46	10	6	7	29	26	5	8	10	27	30	56	56	±0	59
16	York City	46	9	7	7	26	21	5	10	8	26	37	52	58	–6	59
17	Luton Town	46	7	7	9	35	38	7	8	8	25	26	60	64	–4	57
18	Millwall	46	7	8	8	23	23	7	5	11	20	31	43	54	–11	55
19	Walsall	46	10	8	5	26	16	4	4	15	17	36	43	52	–9	54
20	Burnley	46	10	9	4	34	23	3	4	16	21	42	55	65	–10	52
21	Brentford	46	9	7	7	33	29	2	10	11	17	42	50	71	–21	50
22	Plymouth Argyle	46	10	5	8	36	30	2	8	13	19	40	55	70	–15	49
23	Carlisle United	46	8	5	10	27	28	4	3	16	30	45	57	73	–16	44
24	Southend United	46	8	7	8	29	30	3	3	17	18	49	47	79	–32	43

Pld = Matches ; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
NB: In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).

Key
	Division Champions, promoted
	Promoted
	Participated in play-offs
	Promoted through play-offs
	Relegated

Results

Grimsby Town's score comes first^[2]

Legend

Win	Draw	Loss

Football League Second Division

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
9 August 1997	Bristol City	H	1–1	6,220	Widdrington
16 August 1997	Plymouth Argyle	A	2–2	6,002	Donovan (pen), Nogan
23 August 1997	Wrexham	H	0–0	4,404
30 August 1997	Brentford	A	1–3	3,875	Nogan
2 September 1997	Preston North End	A	0–2	9,489
9 September 1997	York City	H	0–0	5,308
13 September 1997	Fulham	A	2–0	6,874	Livingstone (2)
20 September 1997	Millwall	H	0–1	4,267
27 September 1997	Bournemouth	A	1–0	3,712	Groves
4 October 1997	Wigan Athletic	H	2–1	4,623	Donovan (2 pens)
11 October 1997	Northampton Town	H	1–0	4,778	Donovan
18 October 1997	Blackpool	A	2–2	5,234	Nogan, Donovan (pen)
21 October 1997	Oldham Athletic	A	0–2	4,520
25 October 1997	Watford	H	0–1	5,699
1 November 1997	Southend United	H	5–1	4,501	Nogan (2), Lester, Groves, Widdrington
4 November 1997	Walsall	A	0–0	2,599
8 November 1997	Chesterfield	A	0–1	5,004
22 November 1997	Burnley	H	4–1	4,829	Groves, Widdrington, Lester, Nogan
29 November 1997	Gillingham	A	2–0	4,855	Jobling, Black
2 December 1997	Wycombe Wanderers	H	0–0	4,160
12 December 1997	Bristol Rovers	A	4–0	4,801	Gallimore, Livingstone (2), Donovan
20 December 1997	Carlisle United	H	1–0	6,222	McDermott
26 December 1997	York City	A	0–0	7,093
28 December 1997	Preston North End	H	3–1	6,725	Donovan (2), Black
10 January 1998	Bristol City	A	1–4	12,567	Groves
17 January 1998	Brentford	H	4–0	4,624	Groves, Smith, Donovan, Clare
31 January 1998	Fulham	H	1–1	6,785	Burnett
7 February 1998	Millwall	A	1–0	6,020	Livingstone
14 February 1998	Wigan Athletic	A	2–0	3,548	Nogan, Donovan
21 February 1998	Bournemouth	H	2–1	5,456	O'Neil (own goal), Groves
24 February 1998	Blackpool	H	1–0	4,924	Clare
28 February 1998	Northampton Town	A	1–2	6,932	Donovan
3 March 1998	Chesterfield	H	0–0	4,940
7 March 1998	Southend United	A	1–0	4,829	Clare
14 March 1998	Walsall	H	3–0	4,916	Nogan, Donovan (2)
21 March 1998	Luton Town	A	2–2	5,700	Gallimore, Donovan
24 March 1998	Plymouth Argyle	H	1–0	4,661	Groves
28 March 1998	Burnley	A	1–2	8,256	Lester
31 March 1998	Wrexham	A	0–0	5,421
4 April 1998	Gillingham	H	0–0	5,190
7 April 1998	Luton Town	H	0–1	4,455
10 April 1998	Wycombe Wanderers	A	1–1	5,846	Lester
13 April 1998	Bristol Rovers	H	1–2	5,484	Donovan (pen)
21 April 1998	Carlisle United	A	1–0	3,956	Donovan (pen)
25 April 1998	Watford	A	0–0	14,002
2 May 1998	Oldham Athletic	H	0–2	8,054

Second Division play-offs


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
SF 1st Leg	9 May 1998	Fulham	A	1–1	13,954	Smith
SF 2nd Leg	13 May 1998	Fulham	H	1–0 (won 2-1 on agg)	8,689	Donovan
F	24 May 1998	Northampton Town	N	1–0	62,988	Donovan

FA Cup

Main article: 1997–98 FA Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1	15 November 1997	Shrewsbury Town	A	1–1	3,193	Southall
R1R	25 November 1997	Shrewsbury Town	H	4–0	3,242	Nogan, Herbert (own goal), Lester, Jobling
R2	6 December 1997	Chesterfield	H	2–2	4,762	Rodger, Nogan
R2R	16 December 1997	Chesterfield	A	2–0	4,553	Lester, Groves
R3	3 January 1998	Norwich City	H	3–0	8,161	McDermott, Woods, Donovan
R4	14 January 1998	Leeds United	A	0–2	29,598

League Cup

Main article: 1997–98 Football League Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1 1st Leg	12 August 1997	Oldham Athletic	A	0–1	5,656
R1 2nd Leg	26 August 1997	Oldham Athletic	H	5–0 (won 5-1 on agg)	5,078	Lester (3), Livingstone, Donovan
R2 1st Leg	17 September 1997	Sheffield Wednesday	H	2–0	6,429	Groves, Livingstone
R2 2nd Leg	1 October 1997	Sheffield Wednesday	A	2–3 (won 4-3 on agg)	11,120	Nogan, Groves
R3	14 October 1997	Leicester City	H	3–1	7,738	Jobling, Livingstone (2)
R4	18 November 1997	Liverpool	A	0–3	28,515

Football League Trophy

Main article: 1997–98 Football League Trophy


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
NR1	9 December 1997	Chesterfield	A	1–0	1,128	Nogan
NR2	6 January 1998	Hull City	H	1–0	4,778	Butterfield
NQF	27 January 1998	Scunthorpe United	A	2–0	4,596	Groves, Burnett
NSF	17 February 1998	Blackpool	H	1–0	8,027	Burnett
NF 1st Leg	10 March 1998	Burnley	H	1–1	6,064	Groves
NF 2nd Leg	17 March 1998	Burnley	A	2–0 (won 3-1 on agg)	10,257	Nogan, Donovan
F	19 April 1998	Bournemouth	N	2–1	62,432	Glass (own goal), Burnett

Squad

^[3] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Position	Player
-	GK	Aidan Davison
-	GK	Jason Pearcey
-	DF	Peter Handyside
-	DF	John McDermott
-	DF	Mark Lever
-	DF	Tony Gallimore
-	DF	Graham Rodger
-	DF	Danny Butterfield
-	DF	Matthew Bloomer
-	DF	Ben Chapman
-	DF	Ashley Fickling
-	MF	Paul Groves
-	MF	Kevin Donovan
-	MF	Kingsley Black
-	MF	Wayne Burnett

No.	Position	Player
-	MF	Kevin Jobling
-	MF	David Smith
-	MF	Tommy Widdrington
-	MF	Dave Gilbert (on loan from West Bromwich Albion)
-	MF	Nicky Southall
-	MF	Paul Holsgrove (on loan from Reading)
-	MF	Jim Dobbin
-	MF	Darren Wrack
-	MF	Gary Childs
-	FW	Lee Nogan
-	FW	Steve Livingstone
-	FW	Jack Lester
-	FW	Daryl Clare
-	FW	Neil Woods

Transfers

In

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Fee
1 August 1997	MF	Kevin Donovan	West Bromwich Albion	£300,000
1 August 1997	MF	Paul Groves	West Bromwich Albion	£250,000
1 August 1997	FW	Lee Nogan	Reading	£170,000
16 January 1998	MF	David Smith	West Bromwich Albion	£200,000
12 February 1998	MF	Wayne Burnett	Huddersfield Town	£100,000
26 March 1998	MF	Jim Dobbin	Scarborough	Free transfer

Out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Fee
1 August 1997	MF	John Oster	Everton	£1,500,000
7 August 1997	MF	Jimmy Neil	Scunthorpe United	Free transfer
1 September 1997	MF	Gary Childs	Wisbech Town	Free transfer
6 December 1997	MF	Nicky Southall	Gillingham	Free transfer

Transfers in:

£1,020,000

Transfers out:

£1,500,000

Total spending:

£480,000

References

1 2 3 4 "Buckley savours Wembley hat-trick". BBC Sport. 27 March 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
↑ http://www.statto.com/football/teams/grimsby-town/1997-1998/results
↑ http://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=1148&teamTabs=stats&season_id=127

Grimsby Town Football Club

Players Managers Honours Current season

History	Seasons

Home stadium	Clee Park (1878–1879 & 1880–1889) Lovett Street (1879–1880) Abbey Park (1889–1899) Blundell Park (1899–present)

Rivalries	Humber derby Lincolnshire derby

Games	1998 Football League Trophy Final 1998 Football League Second Division play-off Final 2006 Football League Two play-off Final 2008 Football League Trophy Final 2013 FA Trophy Final 2015 Conference Premier play-off Final 2016 National League play-off Final 2016 FA Trophy Final

Supporters	Mariners Trust

Media	GTTV All articles

Grimsby Town F.C. seasons

1980–81
1981–82
1982–83
1983–84
1984–85
1985–86
1986–87
1987–88
1988–89
1989–90
1990–91
1991–92
1992–93
1993–94
1994–95
1995–96
1996–97
1997–98
1998–99
1999–2000
2000–01
2001–02
2002–03
2003–04
2004–05
2005–06
2006–07
2007–08
2008–09
2009–10
2010–11
2011–12
2012–13
2013–14
2014–15
2015–16
2016–17

1997–98 in English football

« 1996–97

1998–99 »

FA competitions

Premier League and
Football League

Football Conference

Football Conference
Conference League Cup

Lower leagues

European competitions

Related to national team

Club seasons

Premier League	Arsenal Aston Villa Barnsley Blackburn Rovers Bolton Wanderers Chelsea Coventry City Crystal Palace Derby County Everton Leeds United Leicester City Liverpool Manchester United Newcastle United Sheffield Wednesday Southampton Tottenham Hotspur West Ham United Wimbledon

First Division	Birmingham City Bradford City Bury Charlton Athletic Crewe Alexandra Huddersfield Town Ipswich Town Manchester City Middlesbrough Norwich City Nottingham Forest Oxford United Portsmouth Port Vale Queens Park Rangers Reading Sheffield United Stockport County Stoke City Sunderland Swindon Town Tranmere Rovers West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers

Second Division	Blackpool Bournemouth Brentford Bristol City Bristol Rovers Burnley Carlisle United Chesterfield Fulham Gillingham Grimsby Town Luton Town Millwall Northampton Town Oldham Athletic Plymouth Argyle Preston North End Southend United Walsall Watford Wigan Athletic Wrexham Wycombe Wanderers York City

Third Division	Barnet Brighton & Hove Albion Cambridge United Cardiff City Chester City Colchester United Darlington Doncaster Rovers Exeter City Hartlepool United Hull City Leyton Orient Lincoln City Macclesfield Town Mansfield Town Notts County Peterborough United Rochdale Rotherham United Scarborough Scunthorpe United Shrewsbury Town Swansea City Torquay United

Non-League	Newport

Summer 1997 transfers
Winter 1997–98 transfers

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/18/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.