The romance of the FA Cup in Cleethorpes, ultimately, was limited to a good old-fashioned away following of 571 hardy yet boisterous souls from Weston-super-Mare.
The Seagull Army twice wildly celebrated second-half equalisers through Luke Coulson and their predatory striker Louis Britton before Grimsby substitute Kieran Green’s looping header settled the match and ended Weston’s stirring six-game run in the competition.
That felt cruel on Scott Rogers’ part-time National League South outfit, but there was no shame in defeat and their attention will turn back to winning promotion from English football’s sixth tier.
“I’m absolutely gutted for them to be fair because at 2-2, we’re thinking: ‘come on’,” reflected Rogers, who had a beer with Grimsby counterpart Dave Artell after the game.
“The spirit we showed to come back twice – that’s what we’re all about – and we’re proud of what we are. We’ve got a good bunch in there.
“We’ve got a long trip home – five and a half hours – but, man, they should be proud of themselves even though we’re sick as pigs.”
The team from the seaside town in Somerset had never previously reached the FA Cup third round in their 139-year existence so this 500-mile round trip to Lincolnshire marked the biggest match in the club’s history.
Their side comprises of a painter and decorator, supermarket project manager, teaching assistant, university lecturer, builder, physiotherapist and car salesman.
For Grimsby, however, there is a place in the fourth round of this famous old competition, and that will have the locals dreaming of another giantkilling ahead of Monday’s draw.
Artell said: “Weston deserve a huge amount of credit for how they played, as do their fans who never shut up all game.
“But we still found a way to win and that’s what knockout football is all about. We know what it’s like when the boot’s been on the other foot. We’ve got dreams as well and it would be good to get another tie at home or a big fish away.”
Having memorably dumped Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup on penalties in the second-round stage at Blundell Park, Artell’s men won 1-0 at Sheffield Wednesday before being beaten 5-0 at home by Brentford.
The League Cup will never compare to the FA Cup but that raw fervour, that unifying sense of togetherness which an unexpected cup run creates, remains one of the most magical sights and sounds in the English game.
Weston could testify to that, with the visitors having arrived here as the joint lowest-ranked team left in the competition with National League North side Macclesfield.
They train twice a week, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and despite falling just short, Weston’s Cup run has generated about £150,000 for a club with a mid-table budget for their division.
On a bitterly cold evening, both sides soon warmed to their task and, while Grimsby generally enjoyed the upper hand, Weston were far from overawed.
But four minutes before the break, Charles Vernam collected possession from a short corner and fired a superb dipping shot over Max Harris to put Grimsby ahead.
Goodness knows what Rogers said to his men at half-time but they came out with a renewed belief and were soon level when Coulson’s 25-yard free-kick took a huge deflection and flew into the net.
Chances began to proliferate at both ends and Grimsby restored their advantage when substitute Jaze Kabia’s effort beat Harris after good work by Cameron McJannet.
Still Weston were not finished and, when a free-kick dropped across the face of Grimsby’s goal in the 77th minute, the predatory Britton was there to fire home right-footed from six yards.
It was his sixth FA Cup goal this season but, with just four minutes remaining, a corner came in and Green’s astute header sailed into Weston’s net, breaking the hearts of Rogers, his players and their supporters.
Artell added: “ We said during the League Cup run that we wanted to put the club on the map and we’re trying to do that. We’re still in the fourth tier but we’ve got a town who are proud of their football club.”
