Brighton to host Grimsby in FA Cup quarter final
Brighton & Hove Albion will host Grimsby Town in the quarter finals of the FA Cup with the winners advancing to Wembley and the final four.
Despite sitting 16th in League Two, the Mariners have been one of the success stories of the world’s greatest cup competition this season.
They pulled off an almighty shock in the fifth round, winning 2-1 away at the Albion’s fellow Premier League outfit Southampton to reach the last eight for the first time in 84 years.
Grimsby’s mammoth run began in November with a stunning 5-1 win against League One promotion hopefuls Plymouth Argyle.
The Mariners then beat Cambridge United and Burton Albion, Championship side Luton followed by the Saints. They are the first side in FA Cup history to eliminate five teams from a higher division in a single season; nobody could deny Paul Hurst’s side deserve their place in the quarter finals.
With Brighton fighting for Europe and now third favourites to win the competition according to the bookmakers, the Albion will be expected to swat aside their fourth tier opponents.
Football though rarely works like that, especially when Brighton are involved. The Albion have a long and proud tradition of winning games they should not and cocking up matches which appear straightforward, such as when losing a League One game to nine man Walsall at Withdean four days before knocking Manchester City out of the League Cup.
Oh shit https://t.co/0hWsa0Z9v5
— We Are Brighton (@wearebrighton) March 1, 2023
It would be Typical Brighton for the Seagulls to put everyone on cloud nine by beating Crystal Palace on the Wednesday night preceding a massive upset against Grimsby three or four days later. Very much one for The List…
Seagulls supporters have already been treated to one such occasion this season. Having queued for over 90 minutes to collect tickets to get into the Valley, Brighton managed to lose on penalties to League One strugglers Charlton Athletic with a Carabao Cup quarter final place there for the taking.
The Addicks’ previous two home results had been defeats to Cheltenham Town and Bristol Rovers before causing one of the biggest upsets of the season against the Albion.
Brighton last faced Grimsby in the third tier during the 2003-04 season. The Mariners won the Blundell Park fixture 2-1 on Valentine’s Day. Jake Robinson made his full league debut in horrific wind and rain with Trevor Benjamin scoring the Albion goal.
The earlier match at Withdean had ended in 3-0 win for the Albion. Bob Booker was in caretaker charge for the first time following Steve Coppell leaving for Reading.
Zesh Rehman and Leon Knight gave Booker the perfect start to his reign, although results very quickly tailed off and the Great Mark McGhee was soon appointed Brighton manager.
Six months earlier and the Albion had been relegated at Grimsby on the final day of the 2002-03 Division One campaign. Brighton needed a win at Blundell Park to go with a Stoke City defeat but could only draw 2-2.
Cleethorpes was a grim place to be that day with outbreaks of fighting across the town, including bizarrely in a children’s playpark in a pub garden.
There has been one previous FA Cup meeting between Brighton and Grimsby, coming in the third round of the competition in the 1929-30 season.
In a role reversal to the club’s respective positions ahead of their 2023 quarter final, the Albion were a Division Three South side at the time and Grimsby in the top flight.
Brighton though proved a match for their opponents despite the two-division gap, Harry Dutton cancelling out a Jack Prior goal to help the Albion to a 1-1 draw at the Goldstone Ground.
The replay took place at Blundell Park three days later. Reg Wilkinson missed a penalty for the Albion after Grimsby full back Hugh Jacobson punched the ball off the line.
It looked like that would necessitate extra time until Tug Wilson crossed and Hughie Vallance powered home a header with three minutes remaining to secure a 1-0 win and a famous cupset for Brighton.
Fingers crossed that this latest pairing between Brighton and Grimsby in the FA Cup does not feature a similar giant killing act.
