National cups are something special for many teams and supporters. Today's match will decide whether it's Grimsby Town or Accrington Stanley that keep their silverware dream alive.
It’s busy days for these teams as both were in action only a few days ago. There’s no rest for the wicked, or in this case; no rest for Grimsby Town and Accrington Stanley.
Grimsby Town form and stats
Grimsby have reached this EFL Trophy stage through battling and winning against Manchester City U21, Mansfield Town and Derby County.With 1 League Two win, 5 draws and 3 defeats from their home games, Grimsby Town are certainly not brimming with confidence.
A draw after 90 minutes last time out for Grimsby Town, who played 1-1 against Stevenage. That match was also played at this venue (Blundell Park). A painful moment in the game against Stevenage was the missed penalty kick from McAtee in the 39th minute. A goal there would obviously have changed the match and probably the outcome. Maher was "man of the match" with a rating of 7.62 out of 10. The defender Maher scored one goal and won 1 of 3 duels.
Before that game, the home loss against Doncaster Rovers with the scoreline 1-3.Grimsby Town are traveling soon after this match as the FA Cup match at Cambridge United awaits in four days.
Grimsby Town have conceded 10 in these home matches.
Accrington Stanley form and stats
The traveling awayteam has defeated Salford City, Rochdale and Liverpool U21 in order to reach 2nd round of EFL Trophy. Last season their EFL Trophy adventure ended in the 2nd round.As the visiting team in League One matches, Accrington Stanley have produced an overall stat of 3-2-5 so far.
Accrington play their second away game in a row, but can be confident going into this one after the 1-0 victory visiting Cambridge United. Tharme was the top performer of the team in that game with a match score of 8.02. The defender Tharme served one assist, hit one key pass and won 6 of 8 duels.
Preceding that, the 0-1 home loss versus Sheffield Wednesday.The visitors are returning home after this fixture, hosting Barnet in just four days.
The attacking power of Accrington Stanley when travelling is not overwhelming with 7 goals scored from 10 league matches away. 14 goals have been conceded by Accrington Stanley in these games.
Head 2 Head
Numbers for the preceeding ten meetings featuring these two teams are: three wins for Grimsby Town, two draws and five wins for Accrington Stanley. Over 2,5 goals: seven times; under 2,5 goals: three games.
Top Goalscorers
  H. Clifton 5 goals |  S. McConville 4 goals | R. Taylor 3 goals |
Grimsby Town missing players
Accrington Stanley missing players
| Grimsby Town | Accrington Stanley | ||||||
| Total | Home | Statistics | Stat | Away | Total | ||
| 25 | 15 | Played | P | 12 | 25 | ||
| 9 | 4 | Won | W | 4 | 8 | ||
| 8 | 7 | Drew | D | 3 | 8 | ||
| 8 | 4 | Lost | L | 5 | 9 | ||
| 33 | 21 | Scored | S | 11 | 33 | ||
| 26 | 15 | Conceded | C | 15 | 39 | ||
| 88% | 80% | Over 0.5 | O 0.5 | 92% | 92% | ||
| 76% | 80% | Over 1.5 | O 1.5 | 58% | 68% | ||
| 44% | 47% | Over 2.5 | O 2.5 | 42% | 56% | ||
| 20% | 20% | Over 3.5 | O 3.5 | 17% | 36% | ||
| 4% | 7% | Over 4.5 | O 4.5 | 8% | 20% | ||
| 52% | 53% | BTTS | BTTS | 42% | 52% | ||
| 36% | 40% | Clean Sheets | C S | 33% | 24% | ||
| 24% | 27% | Failed to Score | F T | 33% | 32% | ||
| 5.1 | 4.9 | Corners for (avg) | C F | 6.4 | 5.5 | ||
| 4.8 | 5.1 | Corners against (avg) | C A | 5.5 | 5.7 | ||
| 1.6 | 1.4 | Yellow cards (avg) | Y C | 2.7 | 2.2 | ||
| 0 | 0 | Red cards | R C | 1 | 1 | ||
| 11.9 | 12.5 | Shots (avg) | S ( | 11.9 | 13 | ||
| 4.5 | 4.7 | Shots on Target (avg) | S O | 3.6 | 3.9 | ||
| 29% | 30% | Goal Efficiency | G E | 26% | 34% | ||
| 11.3 | 10 | Shots against (avg) | S A | 10.2 | 11.6 | ||
| 2.5 | 2.1 | Shots on Target against (avg) | S O | 3.8 | 4.1 | ||
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | Leyton Orient | 19 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 45 |
| 2 | Stevenage | 19 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 40 |
| 3 | Northampton Town | 19 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 34 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
| 4 | Barrow | 19 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 27 | 19 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 34 |
| 5 | Bradford City | 19 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 26 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 33 |
| 6 | Carlisle United | 19 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 30 | 20 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 12 | 10 | 32 |
| 7 | Swindon Town | 19 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 24 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 31 |
| 8 | Mansfield Town | 19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 27 | 26 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 30 |
| 9 | Salford City | 19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 20 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 28 |
| 10 | Doncaster Rovers | 19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 25 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 15 | -2 | 28 |
| 11 | Walsall | 19 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 23 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 27 |
| 12 | Tranmere Rovers | 19 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 19 | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 26 |
| 13 | AFC Wimbledon | 19 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 24 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 0 | 26 |
| 14 | Stockport County | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 22 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 25 |
| 15 | Crewe Alexandra | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 20 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 | -3 | 25 |
| 16 | Grimsby Town | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 20 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 24 |
| 17 | Sutton United | 19 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 25 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 15 | -8 | 22 |
| 18 | Newport County | 19 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 22 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 9 | -4 | 19 |
| 19 | Crawley Town | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 30 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 17 | -10 | 17 |
| 20 | Harrogate Town | 19 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 20 | 29 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 15 | -9 | 16 |
| 21 | Rochdale | 19 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 14 | -12 | 15 |
| 22 | Colchester United | 19 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 26 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 15 | -9 | 14 |
| 23 | Gillingham | 18 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 13 | -15 | 13 |
| 24 | Hartlepool United | 19 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 34 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 23 | -18 | 12 |
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | Plymouth Argyle | 19 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 39 | 22 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 43 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town | 19 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 38 | 19 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 12 | 19 | 41 |
| 3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 19 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 35 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 19 | 40 |
| 4 | Peterborough United | 19 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 34 | 23 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 11 | 31 |
| 5 | Bolton Wanderers | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 31 |
| 6 | Barnsley | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 23 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 30 |
| 7 | Portsmouth | 17 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 26 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 29 |
| 8 | Derby County | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 29 |
| 9 | Lincoln City | 18 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 21 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 26 |
| 10 | Port Vale | 19 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 17 | -7 | 26 |
| 11 | Exeter City | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 31 | 29 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 25 |
| 12 | Wycombe Wanderers | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 25 | 24 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 25 |
| 13 | Oxford United | 19 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 24 |
| 14 | Charlton Athletic | 19 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 30 | 27 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 3 | 24 |
| 15 | Bristol Rovers | 19 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 30 | 33 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 16 | -3 | 24 |
| 16 | Shrewsbury Town | 19 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 21 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 10 | -4 | 23 |
| 17 | Fleetwood Town | 19 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 20 | 19 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 22 |
| 18 | Cheltenham Town | 18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -6 | 22 |
| 19 | Accrington Stanley | 19 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 19 | 30 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | -11 | 20 |
| 20 | Cambridge United | 19 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 18 | 30 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 17 | -12 | 20 |
| 21 | Milton Keynes Dons | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 17 | 28 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 11 | -11 | 14 |
| 22 | Burton Albion | 19 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 25 | 40 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 22 | -15 | 14 |
| 23 | Morecambe | 19 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 16 | -15 | 14 |
| 24 | Forest Green Rovers | 19 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 38 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 21 | -22 | 14 |
- Grimsby Town
- Grimsby Telegraph - (local newspaper)
- The Fishy - (supporter site)
- Cod almighty - (supporter fanzine)
- Accrington Stanley
- Lancashire Telegraph - (local newspaper)
