I've just had these things for a while now and thought I'd share them. I always meant to frame these along with a couple of other Grimsby Town matchday programmes and hang them on the wall but I never got round to it so here I am now, 13 or 14 years later, hanging them on the wall of my inconsistent blog site. Is there a point to it other than I think they're pretty cool?
Not really :)
I love the idea that in the not too distant past, whenever Grimsby achieved anything there would be a commemorative cover.
Football fans and stamp collectors. The same demographic obviously. This one celebrates the 80th anniversary in 1972 of Town being elected into the Football League. Town were formed in 1878 and were elected in 1892. One of the things I love about this is the price of the stamp - 2 1/2p - and this was when it would have still been new pence :)
1972 was a pretty good year. Deep Purple released the Machine Head album and my sister Kate was born!
The next one is also from 72 and celebrates Town getting promoted from the 4th division as champions.
Note: 4th division, kids? League 2 nowadays. Things were simpler back then and of course BETTER.
This cover is a wild design too. Look a space! Let's add a fish and it's saying "match result". Or something. A plaice in a goal net? Red and green ink? A trawler? A trophy? Chuck it all on there! Hold on, leave room for the stamp!!
These things also came with a commemorative card which took the piss for the amount of times they'd been relegated and promoted or re-elected.
Whoever wrote this would have a field day after the last few years of relegations!
Look carefully at this - record attendance at Blundell Park = 31, 654! I just can't imagine what that must have been like. The card also mentions noted players, one of which is the legendary Jackie Bestall, capped by England in the 30s. BEstall had a street named after him in Cleethorpes. Not many players get that honour. Perhaps fittinly for a player only 5' 5" tall, Bestall Road is/was the shortest road in Grimsby/Cleethorpes.
This next one celebrates Grimsby's return to the 2nd division
(they call it the championship now but we're not fooled are we?) afer finishing the 79/80 season as champions of division 3.
It's a lot neater but look at the price of that stamp! 11 1/2p! The cover also came with a card (below) which was sponsored by The Mirror. At least it wasn't the Daily Mail.
Moving away from stamps, here's a pretty cool matchday programme from 1966
when Town were playing in the 3rd division and against local rivals Scunthorpe. Enough about them though.
I love anything with the dock tower on it and Grimsby programmes are no exception. I love driving into the town on the A180 and seeing the tower. Only those lucky enough to have been born in Grimsby or Cleethorpes can even begin to appreciate this.
The back cover had a great ad for Hewitts Ales. Back in the day footballers were positively encouraged to get on it after a game!
Last bit of the programme now, I promise.
Check out the team sheet - Ron Cockerill, father of future players Glenn and John and Keith Jobling at centre half who was the holder of the appearance record for Town until overtaken by Saint John McDermott. Matt Tees - another legend at inside right.
I think this formation was referred to as 2-3-5. We played it at school in the 70s, early 80s.
Harry Wainman is a name I remember from my youth; not because I saw Harry play (I didn't) but beacuse after hanging his boots up Harry had a sports shop on Freeman Street, Grimsby. My dad used to take me in there to get boots, laces, that sort of thing. The shop wasn't far from St Mary's chool where he taught and I seem to remember he knew Harry to chat too. Maybe because he had taught the Moore brothers - Andy, Dave and Kevin - I think all 3, and he went to the same church as former Grimsby manager Lawrie McMenemy. I wish I could check whether he taught all 3 Moores.
Check out the left back. Graham Taylor. Yep, that Graham Taylor, future England Manager. I remember being at home one evening and Lawrie McMenemy ringing to speak to my dad but being in a bit of a hurry as he was in Poland as assistant manager to Taylor and the call was really expensive.
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