Cleethorpes Town Vs Grimsby Borough: Match Preview

Cleethorpes Town Vs Grimsby Borough: Match Preview

It’s been over a year since their last meeting, but Grimsby Borough and our near neighbours Cleethorpes Town will face each other once again this weekend as Tom Claisse’s men make the short trip to the HPS Plant Hire Stadium for a pre-season friendly on Saturday (July 25th, 14:00pm kick-off).

Always a competitive fixture, the managers of both sides will have another opportunity to see their new-look outfits in action ahead of their respective 2026/27 campaigns in front of what will surely be a bumper crowd of local football followers, with just two weeks to go before our season gets underway.

As the hosts were promoted to the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2025, there has been a short break from what is always an eagerly anticipated matchup for supporters of the area’s two non-league clubs in what has become lightheartedly dubbed ‘El Haddocko’ over the years.

Borough boss Claisse and his Assistant Liam Dickens, the latter previously spending many successful years with the Owls as both a player and Joint-Manager, have added goalkeeper Heath Richardson, right-sided player Tristan Drummond, defender Billy Bradley, striker Charlie Clements, and, most recently, ex-Brentford man Josh Clarke to their ranks, as well as retaining the vast majority of their key men from last time out, and the duo will be eager to see how their expansive side fair in what will be a stern test against a very good Cleethorpes side from a higher level. There could also be a further opportunity for some trialists who have featured in recent weeks to impress the coaching staff.

So far this summer Borough have beaten Northern League outfit Thornaby (2-1) and NCEL Premier Division side Barton Town (3-1), before playing out an entertaining 1-1 draw with fellow step four club Grantham Town last time out, all on home soil.

Craig Rouse’s Cleethorpes side fell just short of the NPL Premier Division play-offs in the spring following an impressive first season at step three, and having added the likes of left-sided man Nathan Newall and midfielder Billy Fewster, along with full-back Lewis Hey, Liam Ravenhill and former Grimsby Town defender Jamie Bramwell (from Alfreton Town, Bamber Bridge, Matlock Town, and Stockton Town respectively) to what was an already strong squad including goalkeeper Ollie Battersby, striker Josh Walker, experienced ex-Cambridge United player Liam Hughes, and ex-Mariner and Crewe Alexandra midfielder Callum Ainley, they’ll hope to go one better this time around.

The Owls’ pre-season schedule has included wins over Beverley Town (1-0), Rossington Main (2-0) and Club Thorne Colliery (6-1), while holding Grimsby Town to a goalless draw and losing out to National League side Harrogate Town to a solitary Shawn McCoulsky strike.

A look at the head-to-head record shows a real ‘to and fro’ as to who has held the upper hand over the years, with Cleethorpes, formed half a decade prior to Borough, largely dominating the proceedings in those formative years.

However, as the Wilderness Boys joined the Owls at step four in 2022 under the stewardship of previous boss Dan Barrett, the matches between the two since has seen little to split the sides on the whole.

Between Boxing Day of that year and New Year's Day in 2025, the two teams met eight times overall. Two of those occasions came in the Lincolnshire Senior Cup, with Cleethorpes coming out victorious in both 2023 and 2024, winning 2-0 (at the Technica Home of Boro) and 3-2 (at the HPS Plant Hire Stadium) respectively, the latter seeing Lewis Collins, Tom Sawyer, Curtis Bateson (x2), and Josh Walker on the scoresheet for their respective sides.

Borough would have the upper hand in the league clashes, though, and while both fixtures ended goalless in the 2022/23 campaign, they’d do the double over their opponents the following season, striker Andy Taylor’s late tap-in clinching a narrow 1-0 victory at their Bradley based home before the turn of the year, while the return fixture the following spring ended in a convincing 3-0 success for Barrett’s side, Grimsby Town loanee Cameron Gardner proving the star of the show as he netted a brace.

Although a strong Owls side would go on to win the Northern Premier League Division One East title in 2024/25, Borough remained steadfast in their league clashes throughout that season, battling to a goalless draw in the August Linden sunshine, before Josh Venney’s second-half strike earned his side the three points in the reverse fixture at the turn of the year.

Venney is one of a plethora of current Wilderness Boys to feature for both clubs in recent times, with the likes of captain Sam Topliss, defenders AJ Adelekan and Paul Walker, along with aforementioned new signings Heath Richardson and Charlie Clements donning the blue and black of Cleethorpes at one time or another. While midfield playmaker Alex Flett is an Owls legend, having spent the best part of 13 years with the club between 2012 and 2025, captaining them in their famous 2017 run to the FA Vase Final at Wembley.

The fixture will also see our Director of Football Dave Smith return to a familiar stomping ground, one where he is held in the highest regard by the hosts and their supporters.

It’s sure to be a hard-fought match and a great occasion for football fans from the area. We look forward to seeing the Borough faithful at the HPS Plant Hire Stadium on Saturday for what will be an enjoyable afternoon’s action.