A 5-0 defeat is a bitter pill for any supporter to swallow, but the atmosphere was described as being “like no other” as Mariners fans revelled in their first FA Cup quarter-final in decades.
Their run ended on Sunday with defeat to Premier League side Brighton.
A Grimsby contingent of more than 4,6000 travelled down with the Mariners.
Many fans gathered on Brighton Pier to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Lee Coxon and Ema Hudson travelled down in a campervan with their 12-year-old son Jesse a day before the match.
Grimsby fans were in good spirits when they gathered at Brighton Pier the day before the FA Cup match. | Photo: Ema Hudson
Ema Hudson, Lee Coxon and their son Jesse had a memorable FA Cup weekend, despite the result going against their beloved Grimsby. | Photo: Ema Hudson
The excitement continued to build ahead of the match on Sunday and, despite the result, it is a weekend the Lincolnshire family will never forget as they sang their hearts out.
Ema told The Lincolnite: “It was an amazing day with an awesome following from Town fans. The atmosphere was like no other – from start to finish.
“Despite the result, at the end of the game the players stood in front of the fans and took a moment to take it all in.
“The fans celebrated singing Sweet Caroline, jumping around in the stands – a celebration I think of the club moving onward and upward. A special moment in GTFC history.”
Inside the ground soaking up the atmosphere of the FA Cup tie. | Photo: Ema Hudson
Grimsby’s players on the pitch who came over to thank the fans for their support after the match. | Photo: Ema Hudson
Teenager Evan Ferguson scored twice, with the other goals coming from Deniz Undav, Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma in a game which proved to be a bridge too far for Grimsby.
It may have been a rather one-sided affair, but it was a valiant effort by Grimsby who gave as good as they got.
Grimsby fans gathered at Brighton Pier. | Photo: Ema Hudson
League Two Grimsby were said to have been the first team to reach the quarter-final of the FA Cup having beaten teams from divisions above them all the way through the competition.
They beat League One sides Plymouth, Cambridge and Burton before overcoming Championship outfit Luton, with a 2-2 draw followed by a 3-0 win in the replay at Blundell Park, and that now-famous win at Premier League Southampton.
Lee Coxon, Ema Hudson and and Jesse Coxon enjoying a meal with their friends, and fellow Mariners fans, Vicky Gresham and Stewart, and their son Ewan, on the night before the match. | Photo: Ema Hudson
Grimsby can be proud of their FA Cup run, but must now quickly turn their attentions back to League Two ahead of a trip to face Mansfield on Wednesday, March 22.
This is Grimsby’s first season back in the Football League and they currently sit 15th in the table.
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