League Two Grimsby have sights set on another FA Cup upset against Luton… 27 years after they stunned West Ham despite star man Ivano Bonetti suffering a fractured cheekbone after being hit by a plate of CHICKEN thrown by the manager

Grimsby may not have the lights, camera and action of Hollywood that Wrexham can boast. But there is some common ground between the two.

Both are working-class, industrial towns which have fallen on hard times in the past couple of decades. Both town’s teams have endured spells in the doldrums on and off the pitch in recent times. And both sides will contest FA Cup fourth-round replays against Championship opposition on Tuesday night.

Sure, there are plenty of differences. Wrexham have owners from Hollywood; Grimsby’s are British businessmen. Wrexham have had an 18-episode documentary made about them on Disney+; the bulk of Grimsby’s coverage comes from their local paper. Wrexham are sponsored by a social media giant; Grimsby are backed by a renewable energy company.

But there is one key difference, in Grimsby’s favour, between these sides which stems from events at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground on May 28, 2022 in the National League play-off semi-final.

It was Paul Hurst’s side who prematurely bought down the curtain on Wrexham’s story last season, winning a blockbuster clash 5-4 in extra-time. It was a game with a script even the producers of Welcome to Wrexham couldn’t have written. But for those fans in north Wales, it lacked the fairytale ending they had dreamt of. 

Then, a week later, Grimsby secured an immediate return to the Football League after beating Solihull Moors in extra-time in the National League play-off final.

Wrexham’s time will come again. They will almost certainly make waves this season – in the league, where they are on course for a record points finish (though Notts County are above them, still!) or on their remarkable FA Cup run which has already seen them knock out Championship opposition in Coventry.

It is worth remembering, though, that Wrexham are a non-League club like no other. More like a Football League outfit, given their financial clout and players at their disposal. That is no slight on their achievements to date. They have been in the footballing wilderness for too long and the Football League would be richer for their presence.

But as their story continues to grab the headlines, Grimsby are quietly on the verge of pulling off something even more special. It has been 27 long years since the Mariners won an FA Cup fourth-round tie. They needed a replay that year, too, to get past higher-level opposition in the form of Harry Redknapp’s West Ham.

The Mariners earned themselves a replay after holding the Premier League side to a 0-0 draw at Upton Park. But drama off the field involving manager Brian Laws and Ivano Bonetti threatened to derail their historic exploits before a ball was kicked in the second clash.

Laws was left fuming by his team’s performance in a 3-2 defeat to Luton shortly before the West Ham clash. He was particularly upset with the performance of Bonetti, so much so that he grabbed a plate of chicken wings which was lying around in the dressing room and threw it in the direction of Bonetti. The scarcely believable episode left the Italian with a fractured cheekbone.

Somehow, both Laws and his side regained their composure to beat West Ham 3-0 in front of 8,382 fans on a famous night at Blundell Park in February 1996.

That win, regarded as one of the club’s finest in the FA Cup, set up a fifth-round date with another Premier League side, Chelsea. After holding the Blues to a 0-0 draw at home, the top division side ultimately ended their cup run with a 4-1 win in the replay.

Cup runs like those live long in the memory at clubs like Grimsby. And there is belief in some quarters that Paul Hurst’s side could continue their own memorable cup run when they face Luton on Tuesday night.

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The Hatters go into the game as overwhelming favourites. Luton sit fourth in the Championship and show no sign of letting up in their promotion push under Rob Edwards, one of the brightest young coaches in the English game.

For as well as Grimsby played in 2-2 draw at Kenilworth Road in the first meeting, Luton will feel confident they can go through the gears this time around to secure a fifth-round date with Southampton. It’s a tie they will fancy the look of given the Saints’ dreadful league form and the opportunity to get one over on former boss Nathan Jones.

But first they must negotiate Grimsby and as West Ham found out all those years ago, the Mariners have the capacity to pull off a shock when the FA Cup comes to Blundell Park. After years of first and second-round exits, now would be about time for Grimsby to write another chapter of their history in this competition.

Wrexham’s run in the competition is to be celebrated and, should they get past Sheffield United, a date with Tottenham would be a magnificent occasion. But don’t forget about Grimsby if they pull off a shock result of their own on Tuesday night. That really would be a victory for the little guy.