Grimsby Town begin their 2026/27 Sky Bet League Two campaign at home to Exeter City on Saturday, and it is the kind of opening fixture that can tell you plenty about both sides straight away. David Artell’s team get the benefit of Blundell Park and an expected bumper crowd, but Exeter arrive with recent momentum in this fixture and the memory of their League One relegation still fresh.
The meeting brings together two clubs with a long history, but the immediate picture is simple enough: Grimsby are starting the new league season in front of their own supporters, while Exeter are back in the fourth tier after finishing 21st last season. That gives the game an early-season edge, even before the first challenge is made.
A familiar fixture with a new-season feel
This is not the first time these clubs have crossed paths in a meaningful way. They first met on 12th February 1921, when they drew 1-1 in Division Three South, before Grimsby won the reverse fixture 2-0 a week later. More than seven decades later, John Cockerill scored twice in the first half at St James’ Park in May 1991 as Grimsby won 2-1 to confirm automatic promotion into the Second Division.
Recent meetings, though, have leaned Exeter’s way. They beat Grimsby 4-1 behind closed doors on the Lincolnshire coast in 2020 December, and they have won the last three meetings overall as well as the last two at Blundell Park. For a home opener, that is enough to sharpen the sense that this is more than a routine first-day fixture.
What Grimsby need from the opener
For Artell, the immediate task is not to overcomplicate it. League Two seasons are often shaped early by whether a team can turn home games into steady points, and Grimsby will want to use the energy around Blundell Park to their advantage. The crowd should be there, the setting will be right, and the tone for the campaign can be set quickly if they start well.
That does not mean the challenge is straightforward. Exeter’s recent record in the fixture suggests they know how to make this uncomfortable, and their return to League Two under Matt Taylor gives them a structure and a point to prove. They were promoted from this division in 2022/23, but this latest reset means they arrive with a different kind of pressure.
Exeter's return to League Two
There is also a broader story behind the football. Matt Taylor returned to Exeter City on a short-term deal in March 2026 before being appointed permanently, and that places him back in familiar territory as he tries to steady the club after relegation. Clubs that come down from League One are often judged quickly, and a first away match like this can become a useful indicator of how well the transition is going.
Grimsby, meanwhile, will know that an opening-day result does not define a season, but it can frame the mood around it. Win at home, and the early conversation changes. Fail to do so, and the questions begin sooner than anyone wants.
So while this is only the first fixture of the campaign, it already feels like an important one. Grimsby vs Exeter City is not just a season opener; it is a test of early authority, resilience and expectation on both sides.
