Who is Grimsby Town? Fourth-tier Mariners knock out Manchester United from League Cup

Manchester United sank to a new low under manager Ruben Amorim after being knocked out of the English League Cup by fourth-tier Grimsby Town on Wednesday night. The Mariners prevailed 12-11 in a marathon penalty shootout at a raucous Blundell Park, after holding the 20-time English champions to a 2-2 draw in regulation.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!United were staring down one of the most humiliating defeats in their history as goals from Charles Vernam and Tyrell Warren put Grimsby 2-0 up at halftime. Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire struck late to save Amorim’s blushes, but the tie eventually went to penalties. Mbeumo then missed the decisive spot kick after both goalkeepers had scored in the shootout, sparking wild celebrations among the home fans.For United, the exit compounds a miserable run of form after finishing 15th in last season’s Premier League. For Grimsby, however, it was a night that will live forever.Grimsby Town Football Club, nicknamed the Mariners, play in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1878, the club is based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, and has played at Blundell Park since 1898. The 9,000-capacity stadium rocked on Wednesday as fans stormed the pitch to celebrate one of the club’s greatest nights.Though modest in size, Grimsby boast a rich and unusual history. They reached the FA Cup semi-finals twice in the 1930s and remain the only club from Lincolnshire to play top-flight football. In 1954, they became the first English side to appoint a foreign manager, Hungarian Elemér Berkessy.The Mariners have endured turbulent decades, bouncing between divisions and twice dropping out of the Football League. Yet resilience has been their hallmark. In 2022, they earned promotion back to League Two and, remarkably, reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2023 after eliminating five higher-league opponents, including Premier League Southampton.Managed by David Artell, the current squad blends academy talent with journeymen professionals — a far cry from United’s multi-million-pound stars. But for one famous night under the floodlights, it was Grimsby who stood tallest, etching their name into cup folklore.