By Grimsby Town’s return to action confirmed after Covid postponements
The Mariners are set to return to the Blundell Park pitch in 2022 after a slew of positive Covid cases put off their festive fixtures.
Halifax Town are the first obstacle Paul Hurst’s men will have to navigate past when they meet on Monday 3rd January.
BT Sport will televise the game, kicking off at 3:00pm on the bank holiday.
The reverse fixture was set to go ahead at a controversial 12:30pm kick-off on Boxing Day, before the Covid outbreak at the club put that on hold until further notice.
That tie has been rescheduled for Tuesday 11 January at 7:45pm, meaning the Mariners kick off 2022 with a Halifax double bill.
Altrincham will then visit Blundell Park a fortnight later on Saturday 15 January, again with a traditional 3:00pm kick-off.
This match was scheduled for Tuesday 22 February, however with both sides being knocked out of the FA Trophy the earlier date was made available.
This mean that both sides will avoid a midweek fixture.
Grimsby currently sit 10th in the National League, but do have games in hand over teams, notably teams on the outskirts of the play-off places Solihull Moors and Dagenham & Redbridge.
Grimsby haven’t played a league game since a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Chesterfield on 11 December.
They played a week later in the aforementioned FA Trophy but lost 4-0, fielding a weakened side with just four players on the bench.
Talisman John McAtee remains suspended for the Halifax home game on 3 January, however that is the last game he has to serve for his straight red card against Dagenham and Redbridge.
This means that he will be available for the away tie on 11 January, notwithstanding any injuries in training.
The two week break will also give Paul Hurst ample time in the transfer window to bring in reinforcements, something he and the fans are desperate to do.
