A Big Thank You

By: Bill Osborne
Date: 24/04/2002

THE SEASON has ended. We can relax knowing that we have retained our first division status but the work goes on. The club now have to start planning for next season signing players and balancing the books for the worst-case scenario. No TV money!

It is also this time of the year when we thank all those people who have helped us along the way.

Thank you Paul Groves, Graham Rodger and Paul Wilkinson for taking over a sinking ship, manning the life raft and keeping us afloat for another season in the first division. A task undertaken willingly and with the commitment that eventually brought success.

Thanks also to the chairman and board of GTFC who backed the new management team and used their own funds to keep the club alive. Often criticised, rarely praised but kept us safe when the TV bubble burst.

Thank you The Grimsby Telegraph for backing Town with your "Up The Mariners" campaign that paid dividends in the end with an increase in gate receipts and a renewed interest in the town of the club’s fortunes. Thank you also Geoff Ford and Stuart Rowson for the help and assistance you have given the Fishy throughout the season, which has been greatly appreciated.

Thank you too Radio Humberside especially David Burns and John Tondeur who have provided us with the commentaries on the radio and the Internet (in conjunction with the club) that has brought people around the globe to the games!

Thank you to Mariners Net, the official web site, for keeping all the fans informed as it happens. Thanks to Dale Ladson who has kept the site up to date and helped us with the commentaries.

Thanks to Tony Richardson, commercial manager, Tim Harvey, press officer and Steve Wraith, (ticket office) for their kindness and assistance throughout the year to us on the Fishy, having never refused us a favour. Thanks also for the brilliant arrangements of the Awards Night which brings the fans and the players together and your hospitality to Fishy representatives at Sponsors functions.

A big thank you to all the members of the Fishy Team led by Rob Sedgwick who has produced one of the leading web sites in the Rivals Network. Thank you to Nicko for his Captions and Limericks competitions, to Richard Hubbert for his match previews, Richard Lord for his mini-reports and news stories, Peter Forrester for his injury list, Martin Copass and Paul Holmes for reserve reports, and Dr Fishy for his post-match analyses.

Thank you to Tony Butcher for his brilliant match reports and, a great big thank you to all those who have submitted articles to the Fishy, which is what this site is all about. The fans’ view!

Last but not least, thank you to all our readers and subscribers. This has been an exciting season but your input through the MB and the comments and articles submitted have made this site the best. To all those who have helped the Mariners and/or the Fishy, Thank you!

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