Staying Up: The Reaction

By: Bill Osborne
Date: 16/05/2001

With Grimsby retaining their first division status with a stunning victory over Fulham at Blundell Park on Sunday, they will now receive a 2.2 million pound payout from OnDigital for TV rights and could also receive another 300,000 for televised games.

Coupled with the NTL deal with the Official Internet site, this could reach almost 3 million pounds.

Speaking to the Grimsby Telegraph after the game was Bryan Huxford vice chairman of the club. Bryan said, "It means financial survival and without it we would have had real problems. The money from OnDigital is the equivalent of an 18,000 gate every week. It's not just the town, it's North East Lincolnshire and this helps put us on the map. We're in the big league and Grimsby and Cleethorpes needs that."

"As far as we're concerned it puts us in the Premier of the Football League and we're in with the big guys - the Birminghams and the Wolves - the major spenders. We're the Cinderellas and what we desperately need is the silver slipper."

Talking about the support he continued, "It was wonderful out there and if we can get that support and belief and passion all the time then it will be brilliant we're not going to win every game but we need the fans to back us. They were fantastic out there and the performance was attributed to the fact that there was an atmosphere, and the players got revved up and responded to it."

"Everywhere I've gone in Grimsby in the past week, everyone has been aware of the situation and wishing us to get the result. That augers well for the future because it proves that the interest is there and I don't see why we can't 8,000 gates every week."

Manager Lennie Lawrence after the game spoke about the win and the commitment of the players.

"We are absolutely delighted not only to stay up, but also to beat the champions, and deservedly so. It's a magnificent achievement for a club of this size to stay in this division. It's Premier League Two in all but name. It's unrecognisable from years ago."

"We bettered last year's points total and that's a fantastic achievement. From the chairman to the tea lady, everybody has done what they can."

"Perhaps the first division won't be quite as strong next year with no Blackburn and no Fulham, but it will still be very strong and at least we go out with a positive outlook."

"The goal came at the right time for us and we restricted them to only a few chances. I said to them at half-time 'never mind about staying up, win the match, then you'll remember this day for ever more',''

"A lot of the players have been here a long time and the spirit has been fantastic. I've been at bigger clubs with more supporters but the intensity and the passion shown here has been fantastic."

"It wasn't a lap of honour at the end, it was an acknowledgement of the spirit that there is here. Now everybody goes into the summer on a high, the players and the supporters. I feel satisfied. It's been a long, hard struggle and we deserve to stay up. I said to the players that eight out of 10 times in life you get what you deserve and we have here."

"They've never let me down on a big occasion. When it really, really mattered they never gave in, and they've never given a goal up in the last few minutes of the games. I said to them that they had to get the ball and play and make their contribution. We've not been found wanting in any of our games in the respect."

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