FA Cup · 1/128-finals 
Our pick Home win
Stafford Rangers vs Grimsby: A place in the FA Cup second round awaits
Stafford Rangers bring an unbeaten FA Cup run into this first-round tie, while Grimsby arrive from League Two. Progress would give either side a valuable step forward in the competition.
Preview written:
Match report
After extra time: Stafford Rangers 3-3 Grimsby.
Match statistics (home team first). Shots: 12–29; Shots on target: 6–10; Corners: 8–9.
Goals
- 3' Darrhyl Mason · J. Birch · Stafford Rangers
- 43' J. Birch · Stafford Rangers
- 74' Harvey Rodgers · Iwan Morgan · Grimsby
- 76' Maldini Kacurri · Iwan Morgan · Grimsby
- 93' Darrhyl Mason · Bebeto António Gomes · Stafford Rangers
- 105+2' Géza Dávid Turi · Sonny Finch · Grimsby
Cards
- 6' Bebeto António Gomes · Stafford Rangers
- 45+2' Cameron McJannett · Grimsby
- 76' T. Tonks · Stafford Rangers
- 80' Joe Dunne · Stafford Rangers
- 89' Harvey Rodgers · Grimsby
- 120+1' Jamie Walker · Grimsby
- 120+2' Luca Navarro · Stafford Rangers
Match stats
Ratings and statistics: API-Football.
Confirmed lineups
Stafford Rangers · 4-4-2
- 13R. SaundersG
- 2Bebeto António GomesD
- 5Andrew BurnsD
- 4Todd FerrierD
- 3Joe DunneD
- 18Harvey WashingtonM
- 6T. TonksM
- 10J. BirchM
- 11Darrhyl MasonM
- 9Scott bakkorF
- 19Remi EfunnugaF
Coach: S. Burr
Grimsby · 3-4-1-2
- 1H. CartwrightG
- 5H. RodgersD
- 2M. KacurriD
- 17C. McJannetD
- 12J. FoulkesM
- 15G. TuriM
- 28F. CartwrightM
- 30C. VernamM
- 29M. SheltonM
- 9Iwan MorganF
- 19J. AndrewsF
Coach: D. Artell
Match facts
Recent form
Last 5 league games, latest on the right
Goals per game
| · | Scored | Conceded |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford Rangers | 2.5 | 0.8 |
| Grimsby | 0.0 | 0.0 |
PreviaXI model
Model confidence: Open game
- Expected goals (model)
- 1.63 – 1.57
- Double chance
- 12 · 76%1X 63% · X2 61%
- Over 2.5 goals
- 62%Over 1.5: 83% · Over 3.5: 40%
- Both teams score
- 64%
- Clean sheet
- 21% – 20%Stafford Rangers–Grimsby
- Half-time result
- X · 38%1 32% · 2 30%
- Half-time / full-time
- 1/1 · 24%2/2 22% · X/1 13%
Statistical model based on expected goals (xG), results and match statistics from the last two seasons. For information only. How our model works →
A cup run at stake
There is no shared league-table contest here: Grimsby are sixth in League Two, with 20 points from 14 matches, while Stafford Rangers’ case rests on their FA Cup progress. This first-round tie offers both clubs a route into the second round, but the paths to this point are markedly different. Stafford have won four and drawn two of their six matches in this competition, scoring 15 goals and conceding five. For the non-league side, another victory would extend a cup run that has already brought a strong home record. Grimsby, meanwhile, have the chance to impose their League Two standing and keep their own FA Cup campaign moving.
Stafford’s unbeaten momentum
Stafford are unbeaten in six, and their most recent FA Cup match was a win. Across their last five FA Cup matches, they have recorded three wins and two draws, scoring 12 and conceding five. These figures describe their six-match run in this competition, not their overall season form. At home in the FA Cup, Stafford have won three and drawn once in four matches, scoring 12 and conceding three, with two clean sheets. That record gives them grounds to believe they can make this a difficult tie for the visitors. Grimsby’s recent league form has been mixed: two wins, a draw and two defeats in their last five League Two matches, with their most recent outing a victory. That win offers a positive note heading into the cup, though their league position is the clearest measure of the test they bring.
Different routes, same target
The prize is simple: one club moves on to the second round and the other exits. Stafford’s six-match unbeaten cup run and home results point to a contest in which they should not be treated as an easy obstacle. Grimsby’s sixth-place position in League Two, however, marks them as a side playing at a higher level.
Our prediction
Grimsby’s higher league level makes them a serious threat, but Stafford’s unbeaten cup run and three home wins give the hosts a credible route to progress. PreviaXI’s model leans narrowly toward Stafford in a close, open tie. Stafford Rangers 2-1 Grimsby
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