What's another year? Well, vastly increased TV money (£2.2m, as opposed
to £500,000 if they were in the Second Division), much higher gate receipts,
retention of their best players and the survival of plans for a new stadium for
a start.
"It's everything," admitted manager Lennie Lawrence. "I reckon
there's at least eight clubs in Division Two that are bigger than us financially
already." In other words, relegation can push a club like Grimsby, losing
£20,000 a week and attracting the lowest gates in the division, into near-irreversible
decline.
Small wonder the supporters celebrated this victory over the champions, for
all that Fulham's commitment to the cause in front of a large travelling contingent
from London was painfully lacking. "We had a game plan, the players worked
very, very hard and stuck to it religiously and we restricted then to a couple
of chances," Lawrence enthused.
Jean Tigana, as usual, let his players do the talking, but there was little
he could have said anyway.
Needing only a point to ensure survival regardless of results elsewhere, Grimsby
set out to frustrate Fulham with five across midfield, a single target man and
a defence prepared to die for the cause.
If anything moved in their own half they closed it down swiftly and were blessed
with a referee who seemed to be unaware that the tackle from behind has been
outlawed.
Unable to play their way through the massed ranks of Mariners, Fulham's only
hope of breaking them down was the pace of Luis Boa Morte and Louis Saha.
Only twice did the celebrated pair pose a threat, both times early in the first
half before Grimsby had settled.
In the 10th minute, Boa Morte shot wide after out-pacing Tony Gallimore and
10 minutes later, played through by Saha, the striker saw his shot blocked by
goalkeeper Danny Coyne.
Grimsby themselves were not exactly prepared to pour forward in numbers, but
on the half-hour they went ahead. Steve Livingstone, working like a Trojan alone
up front, laid the ball off for Paul Groves to shoot from distance. The shot
lacked power, but somehow it eluded the Fulham reserve goalkeeper, Marcus Hahnemann.
Fulham passed the ball around neatly after that, but were not prepared to throw
themselves in where it hurts; it didn't matter enough. For Grimsby, it mattered
very much indeed and it showed.
Goal: Groves (27) 1-0.
Grimsby Town (4-5-1): Coyne; McDermott, Raven, Groves, Gallimore; Pouton,
Donovan, Butterfield, Willems (Burnett, 73), Campbell (D Smith, 82); Livingstone.
Substitutes not used: Hyldegaard, Jeffrey, Allen.
Fulham (4-4-2); Hahnemann; Finnan, Goma, Melville, Phelan; Stolcers (Hayles,
56) Clark, Davis, Goldbaek (Betsy, 65); Saha, Boa Morte. Substitutes not used:
Taylor, Symons, Trollope.
Referee: P Rejer (Droitwich Spa).
Bookings: Gallimore, Boa Morte.
Attendance: 8,706.
Source The Independent by Richard Polke