Grimsby Town fans banned from taking inflatable fish to FA Cup showdown with Southampton
FOOTIE fans have been banned from taking inflatable fish to an FA Cup showdown.
Grimsby Town’s Harry Haddocks have been given the hook by Premier League Southampton FC.
Supporters from the fishing port are now trawling for another mascot for the fifth round clash on March 1.
Many hit out on social media, calling the decision “joyless” and “boring”.
One fan warned it would only encourage supporters to “organise something that will cause you a bigger headache”.
Another wrote: “It’s a disgrace. This has always been seen as a bit of fun. It’s a real shame.”
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Announcing the ban, League Two Grimsby, which expects 5,000 fans to make the trip south, said yesterday: “The club have today received confirmation from Southampton that Harry Haddocks will not be permitted at St Mary’s Stadium.
“We share our supporters’ inevitable frustration at this decision but we know you will support us brilliantly in our first FA Cup fifth round tie since 1996.”
The club added that Southampton had made similar refusals to other clubs and warned that any inflatables found inside the ground would be fished out.
Grimsby supporters were hit with the same ban when the Mariners travelled to Barnet on the final day of the season in 2017.
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That ban came despite them being allowed to take hundreds of inflatable fish to the fixture two years earlier.
In response fans raised cash to pay for a mariachi band to attend the game.