Until recently Grimsby was best known for having once been the home port of the largest fishing fleet in the world and the subject of a so-so comedy film starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Mark Strong.

Oh, there was also the fun football fact that the local team don’t actually play in Grimsby but in nearby Cleethorpes, which has been the staple of countless pub quizzes.

The outfit based at Blundell Park are currently sixth in League Two but although that represents a solid start they have won just one of their last three matches, losing 3-2 at Crewe on Saturday when they presumably had one eye on this week’s Carabao Cup encounter with Premier League Brentford.

The cup competition catapulted the Mariners onto the back pages after their stunning penalty shoot-out success against Manchester United which left Ruben Amorim facing major questions about his ability to last the course in the Old Trafford hotseat.

They then took another scalp when they beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 at Hillsborough to reach the fourth round for the first time since the 2001/2002 season and if they can beat the Bees they will be in the draw for the last eight for...