Grimsby Town earn Chelsea trip after beating Macclesfield Town in Carabao Cup

In the League Cup (Carabao Cup) third round draw two weeks ago, Chelsea were drawn against the winner of the replay rescheduled second round match between League Two (i.e. fourth tier) teams Grimsby Town and Macclesfield Town — their original meeting was rained out by a “monumental storm”.

Fortunately, the drama today was reserved for the pitch, where the teams couldn’t decide a winner in regulation and settled for the lottery of the penalty kick shootout, which the home side won 5-4 to set up a trip to Stamford Bridge in a fortnight.

The match will take place on Wednesday, September 25, and tickets are on sale for just £10. Chelsea are clearly concerned that a cup tie against a fourth division opponent, which could yet feature some highly anticipated debuts, will be undersold.

The Mariners might be marooned in League Two these days, but at least they’re no longer non-league like they were just a few years ago. As one of only five teams ever to play in all five of the top divisions in the English football pyramid, they do have some history with Chelsea, including an FA Cup 5th Round meeting in 1995-96, which needed a replay at Stamford Bridge, pictured at the top — Michael Duberry, Mark Hughes, Gavin Peacock, and John Spencer scored in the 4-1 win. The two teams have met a total of 43 times in fact, including in May 1984, when Chelsea’s 1-0 win at Blundell Park sealed our promotion to the top flight.

Here’s to another great Chelsea win in meeting No.44!

Photo by Hugh Hastings/Chelsea FC via Getty Images