Grimsby Town v Crewe Alex 25-26 Preview - Inseparable

The Alex and Dave Artell might have gone their separate ways 4 years ago now, but it's funny how their fates have remained largely similar. Both the club and their former manager are battling to once again get out of League Two. But in their pursuit of this, they've both become entangled in the promotion dogfight and are on the outside looking in as they desperately try to force their way into the top 7. Who will come out on top in this game? Here is my preview of their match up at Blundell Park:

Mud Bath/Sand Pit

Whilst the Alex fans will be grateful to visit Grimsby in April rather than in December, I don't think the players will be as enthused. Blundell Park's pitch struggles at the best of times, but this season with the heavy rain and the extra cup games played on it, it's turned into a mess, with the grass in short supply.

This won't be a pretty game full of flowing football. It'll be whichever side handles the conditions better on the day.

Ridiculous

I'd almost forgotten about this stat until I saw Jay Williams' red card for Crawley get overturned. Grimsby have had a ridiculous amount of penalties awarded to them and red cards handed out to the opposition. They have been given 10 penalties, the 2nd highest number in the league. They have also had 10 opponents sent off against them, the joint highest in that category.

In 16 different matches, they have had a penalty or had an opponent sent off. Of their 18 wins so far this season, only 9 came without one of those 2 things happening. I said it in the reverse fixture and I'll say it again here to the Alex players. Don't give away a penalty. Don't get a man sent off. Then let's see if the home side are capable of winning.

Huh?

I had a section written about how good Grimsby had been at home since the turn of the year. They had gone 5-4-0 in 9 games up until their game against Harrogate last Friday. But then they went and lost 3-1. How utterly bizarre and how very Crewe Alex-like of them. That being said, they were 2-1 down when they got a penalty and missed it. Had they scored that and made it 2-2, it might have been a different story. But coulda woulda shoulda I suppose.

We now will see if that result signals the return of some of their early season struggles at home, where they went 4-1-5 in their first 10, or if it was a blip. But the Alex's recent good run against them should also give them confidence that they can upset what is likely to be a large and noisy Blundell Park crowd.

Bragging Rights

You get the sense that all sides have moved on from Artell's departure from the Alex back in 2022. But I do like to keep a running tally of the Alex's results against him since he took the Grimsby job. And in that regard, the Alex are now ahead, winning 3 and losing 2 against him, with those 2 defeats coming in the 23-24 season. Two 2-0 wins last season and a 3-2 win this season has the Alex enjoying a 3 game win streak against him. I don't take personal enjoyment in beating him in particular, but still, another tally in the win column against him is fine with me.

Daunting Run

It's not just the Alex that have got to go through tough opponents in their final run in. They only have 4 games to go, but Grimsby have 6! Whilst I get Grimsby's insistence on getting their 2 games against Cambridge and Chesterfield postponed due to international call ups, I'm not sure playing those 2 on Tuesday nights is preferable to when they were originally scheduled.

It means that after this game with the Alex, they have 3 straight away games in the space of 8 days against Chesterfield, Gillingham and Cambridge. Not ideal. Does having a game on Tuesday to worry about affect their preparations for this game? I doubt it, but you never know.

Rise to the Occasion

The Alex have flopped in the games against the lesser teams, but their record against the better teams is decent and they showed that in their last 2 home games by beating Oldham and Salford. They've had some good days on the road against the better teams as well. See the opening day, see Bromley and Swindon. But they've also had some poorer games as well. See MK and Cambridge.

This final stretch doesn't ease up, so they need to keep the intensity. They are going to require a big performance. Can they pull it off and really put a cat amongst the pigeons?

Reality

And that brings me on to this last point. The reality of the Alex's situation is that whilst they are only 2 points behind Chesterfield, this is pretty much a must win game and I'll explain why.

Chesterfield host free falling Tranmere this weekend. We can hope for the shock of shocks, but in reality, the Spireites should pick up another 3 points. That puts them on 71 points. If the Alex fail to win, they'll slip to 4-5 points off 7th, with Grimsby and potentially Oldham leapfrogging them in the process.

Chesterfield then play next Tuesday against Grimsby. If the Spireites win that one, the gap could be 7-8 points, with just 9 points left to play for. The Alex aren't catching them, not given Chesterfield then travel to mid-table Fleetwood on the 18th whilst the Alex host MK. Even a worst best case scenario where the Alex lose to Grimsby and Grimsby then beat Chesterfield, that would still put Chesterfield on 71 points and Grimsby on 70, with the Alex on 66. And what about Oldham? Their next 2 are against Shrewsbury and Barrow. That could easily be 6 points for them, which would also take them above the Alex.

A failure to win here is going to make any possible path to the top 7 highly unlikely. It's a;lready a tough ask, but we knew this would be the case when they lost against Accrington. They have got to keep finding wins in these last handful of games, it's really that simple.

Reality Part 2

However, it's also fair to say that Grimsby are facing a daunting run to finish in the top 7 as well. Crewe, Chesterfield, Gillingham, Cambridge and Swindon are their next 5, with Tranmere last up in what could be a win or get relegated scenario for them. The Mariners know they need to win all 6 of their remaining games to give themselves the best chance at finishing in the top 7.

They started the season well, fell off and then recovered. They've tasted sitting in the top 7 for chunks of the season. Whilst the crowd at Blundell Park for this game will be loud, they will also be expecting a big performance from their team and all 3 points. If the Alex can score the first goal or frustrate the home side, then it could swing in their favour. But if they fall behind, then it could be a long way back for them.

Play-Off Watch

I've already sort of talked about it above, but let's cover all the teams properly. Chesterfield are in pole position and they should make short work of a Tranmere side who have gone 3-1-18 in their last 22 games.

Oldham are just below the Alex, but they'll be feeling confident about dispatching a Shrewsbury side that have fallen off of late. Barnet have put themselves into contention and they'll be feeling confident of getting another win as they host struggling Barrow. Walsall know they will now need to win all 4 of their remaining games to even have a chance and even then it might not be enough. Cheltenham at home is a nice way to start, but for them it really is 'must win'.

Predictions:

Chesterfield 2-0 Tranmere Rovers

Shrewsbury 0-2 Oldham Athletic

Barnet 3-1 Barrow

Walsall 2-1 Cheltenham Town

Referee Watch

David Rock

Rock will never shake his 'Cambridge back 19-20' tag with Crewe Alex fans, but he's been ok in the games since then. However, he's one of the most card/penalty happy refs in the league this season. Not ideal given the penalties/red card stat I mentioned above.

2025-26 Record: 17 League One, 12 League Two, 2 EFL Trophy, 2 League Cup, 1 National League, 1 FA Cup, 135 yellows, 3 reds, 11 penalties

Last Game: Stevenage 1-0 Blackpool, EFL League One, Monday 6th April 2026, 3 yellows

Crewe Alex Record: 2-3-1, 9 yellows, 1 red

Injuries/Absences

Grimsby Town

Charles Vernam, Josh McEachran, Evan Khouri and Doug Tharme are potentially missing, with Vernam being a big absence should he not make this game.

Crewe Alex

The Alex are checking on Thomas and Lankester, who have calf and hamstring issues respectively. Neither will feature here I'd imagine. That means the only player they can look to for a potential return is Shilow Tracey. Is this the week they put him in the team? On Grimsby's sand pit pitch, I can't see it.

Team

It's going to be mostly the same squad that they rolled out against Salford. The question is, do you make any changes to the starting XI? Can you make any changes? I don't think you can at this stage. Who comes in and who goes out? Agius for Powell, maybe? Even then I don't think so given Powell did fine against Salford and Agius hardly merits a recall. So yeah, same again.

And then on the bench, as I mentioned above, is this the game to put Tracey back in the squad? Or do you save his return for the MK game next Saturday?

Score Prediction

The Alex have proven they can beat Grimsby once already this season and defeats like the one the Mariners suffered against Harrogate show that whilst they are a decent team, they can be beaten like everyone else in the division. But here's my hesitation. The Alex need to win. They can do that for sure. But string wins together in a row? That's something they've struggled to do all season. That's why I think they will fall short here. I think they'll get a decent result, but one that isn't quite good enough.

Grimsby Town 2-2 Crewe Alexandra