Grimsby fans hire Mariachi band after inflatables banned from crowd

Travelling Grimsby Town fans have hired a Mariachi band to accompany them to their League Two game against Barnet after being banned from taking inflatables into the stadium.

Barnet issued the blanket ban after one of their stewards was hit by a Grimsby fan wielding an inflatable shark during a Conference game between the two sides back in 2015.

Indeed, Mariners supporters descended on The Hive for the match armed with hundreds of inflatables in protest over the treatment of a fellow fan, who was ejected from a prior match against Forest Green Rovers for refusing to allow his beach ball to be confiscated.

Understandably, Barnet decided to outright ban inflatable toys for what will be Grimsby's final away fixture of the season in a bid to avoid a repeat of those harrowing scenes.

As such, a group of Grimsby fans recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to hire an alternative means of entertainment.

"For whatever reason, the suggestion about a Mariachi band, among other things, caught the imagination and a couple of us decided to set up a Crowdfunder page," organiser Trevor Hewson told the Grimsby Telegraph.

"It went a little bit crazy and it has absolutely surpassed our expectations."

Having easily reached their intended target of £1,000 and successfully booking their Mariachi band of choice, Hewson also revealed that all excess funds will be donated to the Mariners' disabled supporters' club.