'Grimsby is a hub of positivity': How FA Cup giant-killing run has re-energised an entire town

An unfortunate consequence of Grimsby’s giant-killing run to the FA Cup quarter-final is that the demand for Harry Haddock inflatables seems to have outstripped supply.

“My Harry Haddock died at Southampton,” Kelly Billings of The Mariners Trust tells . “I got a bit excited at the second penalty and he sort of deflated a sad death. I went to get another one yesterday but we’ve actually sold out.”

A terminal fate also befell DN35 podcast host Alex Green’s match-going companion: “There have been four iterations of the thing and I’ve got three of them,” he tells . “The middle one is still going strong but the fourth one, not dissimilarly had an untimely demise at Southampton.”

St Mary’s became awash with blow-up fish as Grimsby fans revelled in an unlikely victory that ensured a first FA Cup quarter-final appearance since before the Second World War and set up another Premier League tie against Brighton. A similar prospect awaits at the Amex with just under 5,000 Grimsby fans expected to make the trip to the south coast.

“They have been synonymous with Grimsby for quite a few years, particularly in the FA Cup,” Billings explains, with Green adding that Harry has been a “symbol of the town since the late 80s”.

The toy fish haven’t always been welcomed by opposition clubs, however. “We were banned from taking inflatables to Barnet because a steward was hit over the head with an inflatable shark and was prosecuted for it [the fan was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay the steward £100],” Green says. “So we crowdfunded about £1,000 over a very drunken night to hire a Mariachi band and took them instead.”

Southampton initially threatened to confiscate supporters’ beloved mascots ahead of the fifth-round tie before performing a U-turn after a backlash. Brighton have taken an altogether different approach by fighting fire with fire. Inflatable seagulls have been hastily added to the club’s online shop at the bargain price of £3 each. There will be more swimming pool accessories at the Amex than at Typhoon Lagoon this weekend.

The Mariners, currently 15th in League Two after promotion from the National League last season, have already enjoyed a historic run by beating five clubs from higher divisions – Plymouth Argyle, Cambridge United, Burton Albion, Luton Town and Southampton – to reach the last eight.

Sunday will be the first time that a fourth-tier club will grace the quarter-final since Cambridge did so in 1990 and the exploits of manager Paul Hurst, in his second spell in charge, and his squad have not gone unnoticed. The town has been given a welcome boost.

“Grimsby, let’s be honest, when it’s in the papers it tends to not be for a good reason,” Green says. “It’s usually Grimsby is one of the top 10 worse places to live in the UK, or unemployment is through the roof, so this is a great opportunity to put it in the spotlight for something more than that. It has had a rebirth as a hub of green energy and the positivity is not just around the football club but the town itself too.”

“Anything like this is good publicity for the football club and generates that support,” Billings adds. “Once upon a time you’d walk down the streets and you’d see Man United shirts or Liverpool shirts but now it’s Grimsby ones and that’s amazing to see.”

Although Grimsby have defied the odds each step of the way, high-flying Brighton represents by far their biggest test. Roberto De Zerbi’s side are one of the Premier League’s most in-form teams and been beaten just once in 12 games in all competitions in 2023. Unlike Southampton, they are not preoccupied with a relegation battle but instead targeting European football. This is a golden opportunity for them to win a first-ever FA Cup.

“The eternal hope in me as a long-standing Grimsby Town fan is we might sneak a 1-0 win,” says Billings. “Whatever the outcome I’m so proud of the team and the fans because it’s an amazing achievement for a little club like Grimsby Town to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.”

“If they are on their game they could absolutely batter us, pardon the pun,” admits Green. “We are a really hard team to break down and we’ve got a fair few people with foreheads twice the size of Harry Maguire to head things away. Unfortunately, it’s at Brighton, rather than at Blundell Park, which I think would have given us a much better chance. I expect a Brighton win but my heart is still hoping for a 96th-minute winner by a header from Luke Waterfall and you’ll find me on Brighton beach three weeks later.”

The FA Cup run has encapsulated the feelgood factor that has seeped into the club. Mariners have been on an upward trajectory since being taken over by boyhood fans Jason Stockwood and Andrew Pettit in January 2021. The pair have pledged to reinvest every penny earned from the FA Cup run – estimated to be around £1m – into next season’s playing budget, with the aim of assembling a squad that can compete at the top end of League Two. “There’s new life running through the club now,” says Billings.

Regardless of whether Grimsby continue their fairytale ride all the way to Wembley or bow out heroically in the last eight, they are already a source of immense pride to the local community. And have helped turn Harry Haddock into a minor celebrity.