GTFC Wall Of Fame & Fanzone
Blundell Park, Grimsby

About The GTFC Fanzone Mural

We settled on a simple silhouette of the fans and their families waving 'harry' inflatables as the backdrop for the mural. It's a great scene that reflects the 'family' mentality behind the club and was perfect as an entrance for the Fanzone.

With a variety of volunteers from the community we started putting the mural on the wall, while on the opposite wall in place of the club's memorial wall, local artist Kevin Atkins started on his Wall of Fame.

We were slightly delayed by bad weather, but the team slogged through and the final piece (and the first of our PTTP murals) was completed.

To support our project, we've also developed a 'Memory Lane' Podcast to accompany the mural and a plaque with a QR code will be installed at the site of the mural to include it in to our Digital trail (to be launched at the end of the project).

You can take a listen below to Kevin chatting with the team about the Wall of Fame and how he selected the faces and scenes he used in the final piece. (You can also listen on Soundcloud or Spotify directly).

About the GTFC Wall Of Fame

Top row:

Top left scene: Phil Jevons scoring his famous last minute top-corner screamer away at Anfield against Liverpool in the League Cup in the 2001/2 season, giving Grimsby Town a historic 2-1 victory.

Top row figure above them and slightly to the right in profile: Mariners manager from 1951-1954 (and footballing legend) Bill Shankly. (And I chose his placing on the mural there on purpose for the sweet irony; his most famous role was as manager of Liverpool, and the Phil Jevons image he’s presiding over (as outlined above) is of the team he’s most closely associated with getting beaten by Grimsby Town.)

To the right of him is Pat Glover, GTFC’s all-time highest goalscorer, with a total of 180 goals (including 42 in one season, 1933/4).

To the right of him is Lawrie McMenemy, a famous former Town manager.

''He got the whole town buzzing, and this culminated in the Mariners winning the Division 4 title in 1972 against Exeter City in front of 22,489 people at Blundell Park''.

Next, on his right is another legend, former player Mike Brolly who, in six seasons with Town, played over 250 league games.

"1979/80 season is famous amongst Grimsby Town fans for the club’s League Cup run, beating Everton 2-1 at Blundell Park with Mike Brolly scoring both in front of a crowd of 22,043.’'

Next to him in is John McDermott. From 1987 to 2007, he spent his entire 20-year playing career at Town, and holds the club's all-time appearance record, having played 647 league games (754 games overall) for the Mariners. He is one of only 17 players in the history of English football to play more than 600 Football League matches for a single club.

To his right, the older guy is former chairman Arthur Drewry, who was also head of the Football league and the FA, before becoming the president of FIFA in 1956, and held office until his death in 1961.

Lastly, on the top right is forward Jackie Bestall, one of three players in the 1930s to receive full England Caps, and to this day, remain the only three Grimsby Town players to ever have achieved that.

Bottom row, left to right...

The far left player is Tony Ford MBE - born in Grimsby and played 423 games for the club in two spells. He holds the record for the most appearances by an outfield player in English leagues, with 931.

To his right, the big face is famous former manager Alan Buckley. He gained renown for his three stints between 1988 and 2008, where his achievements made him the club's most successful manager. He is one of only 14 managers to have reached 1,000 matches in charge of a league club, but the only one of the 14 never to have managed a team in the Premiership (or its predecessor, the First Division).

Holding the cup to his right is Kevin Donovan, who scored the winning goal in the promotion play off final against Northampton Town in the 1997/98 season...

...prior to which - as per the big scene in the middle - is Wayne Burnett (and two team-mates) celebrating scoring the golden goal in the club’s first ever Wembley appearance against Bournemouth in the Auto Windshield trophy (with an extremely gutted opposition player to their left with his hands on his head).

Below that scene is a young Graham Taylor, who started his career at Grimsby, playing 189 games, and who went on to become England manager.

Then, the two footballers to his right are defender Harry Betmead, then on the far right of the mural is goalkeeper George Tweedy. As with Jackie Bestall (in the row above), they remain the only Town players to have ever received England caps.

Last but not least, the cartoon character on the bottom right is the Grimsby Saturday Sport Telegraph’s famous mascot, the Mighty Mariner. His facial expression changes from happy and smiling, to indifferent, to angry, depending on the day’s match result for the club.