United spoiled the party for Lincoln on Friday and the Blues will be looking to build up some momentum as they head into the final fortnight og th

An excellent Mike Jones strike earned the three points at Brunton Park on Good Friday, meanwhile the Mariners went down to a first half goal from Frank Nouble as they made the long trip to Colchester.

A bad afternoon got worse in time added on when captain Danny Collins was given his marching orders, so he'll miss the game against United on Easter Monday.

Grimsby are safe from relegation, and they'll be looking to finish as high as possible with a summer rebuilding programme very much in mind. 

Victories have been hard to come by, it's now 10 games since their last win, and the Mariners have also struggled to score goals, with just 41 league strikes to their name from their 43 games.

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Manager’s thoughts ...

Speaking ahead of the game, United boss Steven Pressley said: “The performance on Friday was everything I expect from my team and the players should take full credit.

"We played with passion, intensity and desire, and we showed what we can do against a very good team when we get the basics of the game right.

"Grimsby will be looking to end their season on a high and, having watched a number of their games, I know they're a team who are very well organised by a good manager.

"It's not a game we can take lightly at all. If we do, we'll come unstuck, I have no doubt about that.

"What we've shown again is that teams have to worry about us when we're on our game. The weekend has been about recovering after the Lincoln game and making sure the players are prepared and in the right mindset for what will be another difficult fixture.”

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Did You Know?

+ Traditionally, Grimsby were one of only two teams (the other being Hull City) who were allowed to play on Christmas Day due to the local fishing trade. The tradition has now disappeared.

+ In Grimsby’s 1939 FA Cup semi-final they were forced to play with an outfield player in goal for most of the match after stopper George Moulson picked up an injury, with rules forbidding substitutes for injuries.

+ Ex-Carlisle boss Bill Shankly managed at Blundell Park after he left the Cumbrians, before resigning in 1954 due to a lack of ambition from the board.

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Head to Head

These two sides have met on a total of 45 occasions over the years - spanning all the way back to the 1907/08 campaign when the Mariners registered a 6-2 FA Cup home victory over the fledgling Blues.

Grimsby hold the bragging rights by some considerable margin, with 23 victories compared to United's 11. Things have been better for the Cumbrians recently, particularly last season where they won both of the meetings between these teams.

United were left empty-handed at Brunton Park in October as a first half goal from Luke Hendrie proved to be enough to take the spoils. The Blues had chances, but it wasn't their night as the visitors shut up shop to frustrate the home crowd.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

Our November 2017 trip to Blundell Park saw United give as good as they got in a tight game. Grimsby shaded the first half with the woodwork and some heroics from Jack Bonham to thank for a clean sheet. The deadlock was eventually broken when defender Clint Hill got on the end of a superb cross from Gary Liddle. 

Watch the highlights from that game here:

Things were more comfortable in the home game with Hallam Hope opening the scoring with just three minutes on the clock. It was the perfect thank you to the fans who had turned up as early as 8am on match day to help to clear snow from the pitch, and the surrounding areas, to allow the game to go ahead. Mark Ellis secured the points with a close range header with just over 15 minutes left to play.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

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Man in the middle:

Our referee for this game is Mr Paul Marsden. Mr Marsden has been in charge of 33 games so far this season, showing 90 yellow cards and 10 reds.

He made the step up to the EFL list this season and was our official for the first time for our recent away game at Crewe.

Chris Porter and Shaun Miller scored the goals for the Alex, with a stunning consolation goal from Gary Miller, but the night will be remembered for the Jamie Devitt sending off with just 18 minutes on the clock.

Danny Grainger, Hallam Hope, Mark Cullen, Callum O'Hare and Anthony Gerrard were other Carlisle names taken on the night. 

Referee – Paul Marsden
Assistant Referee 1 – Hristo Karaivanov
Assistant Referee 2 – Ken Haycock
Fourth Official – Wayne Grunnill

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Ticket information:

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