Cleethorpes Town - Linden Club

The Linden Club

Clee Road

Grimsby

North East Lincolnshire

DN32 8QL

01472 693601

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1334
Saturday 17th August 2024

Cleethorpes Town 4-0 Quorn

FA Cup Preliminary Round

CLEETHORPES TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Although a previous Cleethorpes Town FC existed from 1884 until 1939, this incarnation was established in 1998 as Lincolnshire Soccer School. They soon changed their name to LSS Luncarty's and entered the Lincolnshire League in 2004. After 3rd and 4th place finishes, they spent a single season in the Central Midlands League before moving to the Humber Premier League. In their first season of 2006/07, they finished 3rd in Division 1 and won promotion to the Premier Division. They changed their name to Cleethorpes Town in 2008 but resigned from the league mid-season during the 2009/10, rejoining the Lincolnshire League the next year. After finishing 3rd in 2011, they won the title the following year and with it, promotion to the NCEL Division 1. After a 4th place finish in their first season, they won the title in 2014 and earned promotion to the Premier Division. Three good seasons were spent here before they were crowned champions in 2017. They have been in the NPL Division 1 ever since. Their best finish came in 2022 when they finished 3rd but fell in the end-of-season playoffs to Stockton Town.

In the FA Cup, they've had two runs to the 3rd Qualifying Round, taking the then Conference North side Guiseley to a replay in 2018. They reached the 3rd Qualifying Round of the FA Trophy the following season and in 2017 got all the way to Wembley in the FA Vase final, only to lose to South Shields. Local cup wins include the Lincolnshire Senior Cup in 2019, the Lincolnshire Senior Trophy in 2017, the NCEL League Cup in 2016, the Lincolnshire League Challenge Cup in 2012 and the Lincolnshire League Supplementary Cup in 2011. Several ex Grimsby Town players have also played for Cleethorpes Town including goalkeeper James McKeown and striker Ross Hannah.

Geographically, the team are based in Grimsby, although the centre of Cleethorpes is a lot closer. Curiously, EFL side Grimsby Town are based a similar distance from Cleethorpes centre. Cleethorpes is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire. While commonly referred to as a seaside resort, Cleethorpes actually sits on the Humber Estuary. The sea at Cleethorpes is actually the mouth of the Humber. This means that bathers are separated from the sea by several hundred metres of sand at low tide. The seafront provides views of shipping traffic entering and leaving the Humber for the ports of Grimsby, Immingham, Hull and Goole.It has a population of just under 30,000. The town lies on the Greenwich meridian and its average annual rainfall is amongst the lowest in the British Isles. In 2021, The Trainline named Cleethorpes Beach the second-best seaside destination in the UK that is reachable by train, just behind Margate. The Winter Gardens, a venue for a variety of events, was demolished in 2007 and replaced by 47 flats. During a mass boycott of punk bands in the 1970s the Winter Gardens was just one of five U.K. venues that allowed the likes of the Clash, AC/DC and the Sex Pistols to perform. Conservative and author Jeffrey Archer was MP for Cleethorpes between 1969 & 1974. Other famous people from Cleethorpes include footballer Chris Hargreaves.

MY VISIT

Once I had found a game at Horncastle on Friday night, I needed to find a Saturday game to double it up with. The FA Cup was a strong preference for me and so I was glad when Cleethorpes Town v Quorn was pulled out of the hat. It was not the most attractive of games being between two teams from the same step, just as with my previous round game at Skegness. This looked a far nicer seaside resort than my previous round and it was only a shame I was driving as there were several decent pubs. There were a couple of drawbacks - firstly Grimsby Town v Cheltenham Town could potentially make town busy and I at least wanted to tick off the Wetherspoons which looked a nice building. The second was the lack of morning games. Try as I might, I couldn't find a game. There were a ton of good places to visit, but sadly, none had opted to move their kickoff to make a double doable. It was what it was, a far cry from my treble last Saturday but it was still shaping hop to be a good weekend.

It was a decent night's sleep at Colin's parents, followed by a hearty cooked breakfast. I'd been looked after well but we needed to go into Boston to sort Colin's phone and get him a hoover. As it was the opposite direction, his Dad drove and left my car where it was. Boston was a far more pleasant town than I expected in some parts. We were back at 10.40 and on our way. It was 11.55 when we got to the ground and it was a 25 minute walk to Wetherspoons. I was still full from the huge breakfast so only had a shawarma wrap with a pint of Black Dragon. Remarkable value at £7.23 and the Coliseum Picture Theatre was a good Spoons in a lovely building. Everything was spot on. After a, stroll along the seafront, we headed back to the ground, arriving at 1.50. It was a tenner to get in and £2.50 for a decent programme. I also had a locally made Mango cider which was pleasant and sensibly low strength. From there, it was a look around the ground, an impressive setup.

Cleethorpes Town were 2nd in the NPL D1 East and had beaten Brighouse Town 5-1 and drawn 1-1 at Stocksbridge Park Steels so far. To get to this round, they'd had a thumping 7-0 win at Kimberley Miners Welfare. Quorn were 3rd in the NPL D1 Midlands, beating Sutton Coldfield Town 5-1 and drawing 1-1 at Long Eaton United. This was their first game of the season in the competition. Cleethorpes had the better of the opening periods. They asserted their dominance with a quickfire treble. On 23 minutes Curtis Bateson advanced down the right and finished into the roof of the net. On 26 minutes the Quorn keeper parried and Adam Haw followed up from ten yards out. On 28 minutes, a passing move saw Josh Walker net following hesitancy in the visitors defence. Bateson thumped the bar on 40 minutes with a great shot before former Wycombe man (albeit not making a first-team appearance) Nicky Walker made it 4-0 just before halftime. It was a pretty quiet second half with few chances.

The game ended at around 4.55. It had been spent in the good company of groundhopping couple Ben & Flora who had come from Sheffield in search of some FA Cup magic. There hadn't been much from Quorn - they never really got going and had a costly period where they conceded three quick goals. We had been part of a 152 crowd, no doubt reduced by the fact that Grimsby Town were at home. The Wycombe game was still going on when we left, but we eventually lost 3-2. We were second best from what I heard and I'm glad I didn't go. It was a good journey home, though Wycombe Sound's coverage was hopeless and I gave up in favour of an audiobook and then BBC Five Live. I was back at Colin's at 8.20 and home 15 minutes later. It was a nice chance to catch up on my blog and not rush to bed. With a 4 am alarm, I wasn't as bothered about work as I was last week or had I seen Wycombe lose.

THE GROUND

THE LINDEN CLUB is a great setup for Cleethorpes Town. The ground itself is fairly standard with metal stands comprising 300 seats and 100 terrace spaces. There is also a smaller five a side pitch adjacent. The extras make it a great place though. The bar has local brews and a large outside area. The catering sells burgers made by a local butcher and the club shop has a great range of items. Parking is available both at the club and on the side roads. It is around a mile from the town with decent Wetherspoons and plenty of other choices. It is a fairly pleasant seaside town which isn't too busy and has a decent range of pubs.