Grimsby Town v Bristol Rovers
Sky Bet League Two, Blundell Park, Saturday 12 September 2026, 12:30pm KO
Bristol Rovers will look for their fifth straight victory in Sky Bet League Two when they travel to Grimsby Town for Saturday's lunchtime kick-off.
The Pirates have topped the Sky Bet League Two table since beating Colchester United 2-0 at the start of September and solidified their position at the summit with a 1-0 victory over Rotherham United last time out.
In a fixture where chances were few and far between, Tommy Leigh's first-time effort from inside the box was enough to help the Gas to all three points.
Grimsby Town drew 2-2 away at Cheltenham Town in an entertaining contest in their previous match. The Mariners had to gain a point the hard way after falling two goals behind after efforts from Charlie McCann and Andreas Weimann, but found a way back into the contest, with Mark Shelton and Kieran Green netting for David Artell's men.
Read everything you need to know about the fixture below…
Tickets…
Tickets are no longer available online or in-store. The fixture is also all-ticket, meaning that there will be no pay-on-the-day option at Blundell Park.
Travel…
If travelling by car, take the M42 exit to Sollihull/B’ham (E)/N.E.C./Airport at Junction 3A. Continue onto the M42 and then follow signs for M1/Tamworth, continuing onto the A42.
Merge onto the M1 via the slip road to Nott’m (N) at junction 32, take the M18 exit to Scunthorpe/Grimsby/Airport. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit and stay on A180, then at the second roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Westgate/A180. At Lockhill Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Cleethorpe Road/A180 and continue to follow A180. Turn left onto Constitutional Avenue and the Blundell Park should be on your right.
If taking the train, please note that the journey requires a minimum of two changes and takes approximately five hours each way if departing from Bristol Temple Meads. The nearest station to Blundell Park is Cleethorpes train station, from which you can walk towards the stadium.
Opposition…
Grimsby will be gutted by the way their previous season ended. The Mariners finished seventh in the fourth tier and earned themselves a place in the playoffs before losing in the semi-finals to Salford City.
Losing 2-1 at home in the first leg, the Mariners showed plenty of spirit to battle back on the road and force extra time after a 2-1 win in normal time, before Kallum Cesay bundled in from close range for the Ammies to send them to Wembley.
Jaze Kabia, who bagged 18 goals for Grimby Town last season, departed for Sky Bet League One side Leyton Orient, with George McEachran moving to Chesterfield. Darragh Burns played 40 times in League Two for Grimsby last term but also left in the summer for Derry City.
In terms of incomings, Andy Cook returned after a successful loan spell from Bradford City, netting eight times in 22 league appearances. Josh Andrews, Sonny Finch and Iwan Morgan have also been brought in to add depth to the attack, with Finlay Cartwright, Ryley Reynolds, Mark Shelton and Cian Doyle bolstering the midfield options.
Grimsby are in 11th position but are still unbeaten in the fourth tier this term. They won their opening fixture 1-0 against Exeter City before four straight draws, going goalless against Walsall before 2-2 ties against Fleetwood Town, Accrington Stanley and Cheltenham.
Previous Meetings…
The Pirates have won five of their previous six matches against Grimsby Town in the Football League and FA Cup, stretching back to November 2005. When the Gas last visited Blundell Park, Macauley Southam-Hales found the back of the net with a thunderous first-time hit from the edge of the box into the bottom corner.
The Pirates also won the reverse fixture last season to complete a double, with Kofi Balmer, Joe Quigley and Yusuf Akhamrich netting in a comfortable 3-1 triumph. Grimsby's last home triumph over Rovers came back in 2007, finishing on the right side of a 4-3 thriller.
No Gashead will forget the 2015 Conference Premier playoff final against Grimsby, with Lee Mansell scoring the winning penalty at Wembley Stadium after a 1-1 draw.
Match Officials…
Referee: Edward Duckworth
Assistant Referees: Samuel Clayton and Danny Guest
Fourth Official: Andrew Miller
