Charles Vernam Drives Grimsby Town Into Salford City Play-off Tie
grimsby town enter the League Two play-off semi-final first leg with Charles Vernam having finished as the only league player to reach double figures for both goals and assists. They also won both league meetings with Salford City this season, giving them a direct edge heading into a tie that carries extra weight for a club back in the EFL play-offs for the first time since 2005-06.
Vernam’s 10-and-10 season
Vernam delivered 10 goals and 10 assists in League Two, while taking 85 shots and creating 70 chances. That output sits at the center of Grimsby’s attacking profile, which also included 74 league goals, 219 shots on target, 75.6 expected goals, 637 total shots and 1,308 touches in the opposition box.
Those numbers placed Grimsby among the division’s most productive sides over the regular season. MK Dons scored more league goals with 86, but Grimsby still finished second for total shots and touches in the opposition box, showing how often they forced opponents deep.
Grimsby Town’s edge over Salford City
The head-to-head record points the same way. Grimsby won both League Two meetings with Salford City this season and were one of three sides to complete a league double over them. Salford have lost five of their last six league games against Grimsby, with their only win in that run coming at Blundell Park in the 2024-25 campaign.
That recent record includes a 3-1 Grimsby home win in March 2026. It gives the first leg an extra layer of pressure for Salford, who need to break a trend that has repeatedly left them chasing the game against this opponent.
Salford City and the play-off return
Salford are in only their second EFL play-off campaign. Their previous one ended in 2022-23, when they beat Stockport County 1-0 in the first leg, drew 2-2 on aggregate, and then went out on penalties.
Grimsby’s return carries a different kind of weight. This is their first EFL play-off appearance since the 2005-06 season, when they lost 1-0 to Cheltenham Town in the League Two play-off final. They have lost just one of their previous six play-off matches, a record that gives this tie a sharper edge than a routine semi-final.
Jorge Grant’s Salford numbers
Salford still have one midfielder whose season stood out across several categories. Jorge Grant led his teammates with 58 chances created, 74 tackles, 42 interceptions and 187 possessions won in League Two.
Those figures give Salford a clear reference point as they try to overturn a season trend that has favored Grimsby. The first leg now asks whether Grimsby’s attacking range and earlier head-to-head success can carry over once the play-off pressure starts to rise.
