Grimsby To Face Lincoln in Worthy Cup Dream Draw!

By: Peter Forrester
Date: 19/06/2001

IN A freakish twist of fate today Grimsby Town FC avoided the hat's traditional draw against Carlisle United and will face local rivals Lincoln City in the First Round of the Worthington Cup at Blundell Park.

This means former manager Alan Buckley (left) will be returning to his former hunting ground to face the team he took to Division 1 and will also face Paul Groves, the man he is reportedly hoping to take back to Sincil Bank with him in a coaching role.

With the 2 legs system scrapped in the earlier rounds of the competition this means that Grimsby will not have to face a trip to Sincil Bank in a second leg.

With the exploits of Tranmere in the past 2 seasons in this competition and Nationwide side Birmingham City getting to the final last year, confidence is sure to be high in the lower leagues to maybe snatch a surprise UEFA cup place.

A large contigent of fans can be expected from both clubs in a cup match and local derby, with the added spice to see the return of Alan Buckley to Blundell Park in his new capacity as manager of the Imps.

Town boss Lennie Lawrence greeted news of the draw with delight, telling Mariners Net: "It is a good game for both sets of supporters. It is a local derby, so I've got to look at it a bit differently from a standard first round draw. It will create a lot of interest and we should get a good crowd - there are lots of pluses."

"...I hope he will receive the same hospitality as is reserved for any visiting manager...."

In an appeal to Grimsby's fans Lawrence continued: "Alan will be applauded by many fans, and hopefully everyone concerned with the club - I hope he will receive the same hospitality as is reserved for any visiting manager. It is a chance to acknowledge what he did over the years he was here."

The full draw follows:

Kidderminster v Preston
Mansfield v Notts County
Port Vale v Chesterfield
Darlington v Sheffield United
Burnley v Rushden & Diamonds
Hartlepool v Nottingham Forest
Barnsley v Halifax
Wrexham v Hull
Stockport v Carlisle
Scunthorpe v Rotherham
Bury v Sheffield Wednesday
Stoke v Oldham
Huddersfield v Rochdale
Blackpool v Wigan
Macclesfield v Bradford
GRIMSBY v Lincoln
York v Crewe
Tranmere v Shrewsbury
Wolves v Swindon
Exeter v Walsall
Millwall v Cardiff
Cambridge v West Brom
Bristol City v Cheltenham
Swansea v Peterborough
Birmingham v Southend
Oxford v Gillingham
Leyton Orient v Crystal Palace
Wycombe v Bristol Rovers
Northampton v QPR
Bournemouth v Torquay
Watford v Plymouth
Brentford v Norwich
Brighton v Wimbledon
Portsmouth v Colchester
Reading v Luton

Ties to be played the week commencing August 20.

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