Ground Blundell Park, Cleethorpes DN35 7PY
Telephone 01472 605 050
Club Colours Black & White
Nickname The Mariners

Official Club Website www.gtfc.com
Key Personnel Manager Alan Buckley

Brief Directions By Road
The first thing to remember is that the ground is in Cleethorpes and not Grimsby. For you Motorway enthusiasts the M1 and M180/A180 will take you straight into the heart of Grimsby and staying on this road you will see the Stadium. However the trusty A1 will get you to Newark-on-Trent where you take the very pleasant A46 signposted Lincoln. This road is basically all you require as when you reach Grimsby look for signs for Cleethorpes and signs for the ground. Failing that head for the seafront and you will see the floodlights!

Car Parking
No car park I am afraid but all the local streets are unrestricted.

Directions By Train and Boat
A train from Kings Cross to Cleethorpes will take around 3 hours including a change at Doncaster. Cleethorpes station is only a 20-minute stroll to the ground. Basically turn left out of the station and head for the sea front. You will eventually see the ground on your left. Please note Grimsby station is a long way from the stadium. From the North Sea head west towards Cleethorpes and you will see the floodlights straight ahead. Getting home on the night will be a problem hence an added section for this guide - The Reckless Guide to B&B's

Supporters Coaches
Coach travel to away fixtures this season is being organised by the Barnet Football Club Supporters Association. For further details about Supporters coach travel and how to book check out the BFCSA website at www.bfcsa.co.uk.

Eating And Drinking Locally
Inside the ground away fans are offered Scotties Bar which has a bar, TV and serves up a very decent pie and peas. Outside the ground is The Imperial, which is advertised as a home only pub but I had a very pleasant drink in there without a problem last year. It is opposite the ground on Grimsby Road. The Leaking Boot was also very nice to visit - this is found just south of the ground also on Grimsby Road. The Rutland Arms (hey its on Grimsby Road you know) is 10 minutes walk north from the ground offers real ales in abundance. Haddock and Chips is in the blood of folk from this part of the world and Hobsons near the away entrance is perhaps the best plaice to sample it take a way style, don't miss out! I found the outstanding Ocean Restaurant in St Peters Avenue in the town for an evening sit down job. Extensive menu including steaks, ribs and fish, very reasonable prices, and has my personal recommendation for a pre match meal. If wandering along Cleethorpes Promenade then seek out Browns Café; this place has an A+ Reckless rating for no nonsense fry-ups and inexpensive gravy dinners. The Jam Roly-Poly and custard got 10/10 last season. Yes if you must, McDonalds infest the area too with an outlet next to the ground. Try and resist please.

The Ground Description
The club hope to kicking off the 2009 season in a new home on the outskirts of town although plans haven't yet been finalised. In theory the Conoco Phillips Stadium will offer 12,000 seats (eventually reaching 21,00) and will be encased in a brand new retail park - 21^st century football personified.Back to the now and the tall John Smiths Stand, formally the Findus Stand was built in 1980 and is the focal point at Blundell Park - It dominates the ground. It seats around 3,000 in two tiers. The view from this stand is one of the finest in football and it can be clearly seen from the ferry on the Humber Estuary. To the left is the Pontoon Stand and to the right the Osmand Stand which is the area reserved for visiting fans. They both provide covered seating for around 2,000. Finally we come to the main stand. A section of this remarkable stand is I believe the oldest surviving structure at a League ground. It is dates from 1901 and is the central section closest to the Pontoon stand. The stand was extended to meet the Osmand Stand in 1931 and now seats 2,300.Have a peek at this structure from the little car park behind it if you can it as it is quite remarkable and one of very few of its type still standing.

Rivals
Traditionally Scunthorpe United and Lincoln City although Hull City has become a lot easier to invade since the Humber Bridge was built in 1981.

Admission Prices
Adults £18.00 Concessions (15-18yrs and OAP) £12.00 Juniors (under 15yrs) £8.00. Last season the club operated a similar system to Barnet regarding concession tickets in that you have to obtain a voucher to qualify for Concession rate. These were available from the ticket office, which is adjacent to the away area. Disabled spaces are available in the main stand for £10.00 plus £10.00 for carers. A match day programme will cost £2.50

Celebrity Watch
It is very unlikely place to add credibility to your autograph book as Grimsby/Cleethorpes appears only to be a haven for bit part soap and children's TV actresses (Vivean Gray (Mrs Mangle) Julie Peasgood, Vicky Lee Taylor) or a weekend stopover for F list celebs. The following have been spotted on the seafront over the years, Big Daddy, Captain Birdseye, Roy Chubby Brown and Elton John.

Overnight Stay Factor
Oh yes it's seaside time once again, The Reckless Family stayed in a lovely little B&B two years ago which turned out to be a regular haunt of comedian Ken Dodd when he works the local theatres. "You and your wife are staying in the room Mr Dodd reserves every year Mr Hammond, it is our best" said the landlady with pride. Yes people my wife and I have slept in the same bed as Doddy! No jokes please about Mrs Reckless having fun with her husbands diddyman. Cleethorpes is not quite the English Riviera but it is a good old fashioned holiday destination with a sandy beach, funfairs, hot doughnut stalls, rock shops, fortune tellers, a pier, donkey rides, candy floss, toffee apples, "Kiss me quick, squeeze me slowly" hats and plenty of night life. I am sorry I got carried away there didn't I? The weather forecast for the day is bright and sunny but cold. However you will always feel cold in Grimsby and Cleethorpes because it always is! I will award 7/10 because I can. Make the effort to make it everybody, book a day off work if you can, come along even for the day, and join in an amber and black boisterous beachcombing Barnet beano to the seaside.

The Reckless Guide to B&B's
The Tudor Terrace Guest House www.tudorterrace.co.uk is perfect for a quiet repose - as endorsed by Ken Dodd - while Sugar Sugar Hotel www.sugar-sugar.co.uk has a little bit more life and sits above Bar Babylon and boasts its own24 hour bar - residents only you understand. I should be a PR Man!