Grimsby Town have accelerated their summer dealings this week, having picked up Joe Foulkes and Edon Pruti from the National League tiers as well as confirming Andy Cook’s return to the club permanently. Now, they have picked up a striker from one of their League Two rivals.
Officially confirmed via the club’s website, Grimsby Town have announced the signing of Josh Andrews from Gillingham. The striker has penned a two-year-deal at Blundell Park following his release from the Gills last month.
A Breakthrough Waiting To Happen At Grimsby Town?
The striker has arrived at the club with mixed reviews. He first found consistent first-team football during a loan spell with Accrington Stanley in the first half of the 2023-24 season, scoring six goals before being recalled by Birmingham City in February.
Following on, he departed the Blues permanently to join Gillingham. His spell in Kent was quite disappointing, with only six goals returned in 62 appearances for the Gills.
Although he has shown promise, mainly during his time at Accrington. Towering at 6 ft 5, he has all the necessary attributes to be a capable striker at the level. It is largely felt that he has been brought in to play sporadically and in rotation with Andy Cook, and there are few better mentors for a young striker at the level.
Artell has also shown to be capable of uncovering a diamond in the rough. This has been shown throughout his time with Grimsby Town, where Kieran Green, George McEachran, and Harvey Rodgers have come on leaps and bounds, to name a few.
What’s Next In Grimsby Town’s Summer Window?
Grimsby Town is one of the most proactive clubs at League Two level. Currently with over 20 first-team players under contract, this summer is largely about adding what worked so well last season rather than a wholesale rebuild.
While there is sure to be interest in Jaze Kabia and Kieran Green, the Mariners have a stable core of a squad ready to go again in the 2026-27 season.
Most of their signings do not appear to be conventionally great, but the data-led approach in partnership with Jamestown Analytics has proven successful time and time again. For example, Jaze Kabia and Reece Staunton made the step up to League Two level in excellent fashion last year.
Having reached the play-offs, the expectation at Blundell Park will be shifted next season, with many Mariners fans now expecting the club to finally take the leap to League One football with David Artell’s project coming into shape season after season.
What Has Been Said?
On joining the North East Lincolnshire club, Andrews said:
“I’m delighted to be here.
“As soon as I spoke to the gaffer and heard about the ambitions of the club, it was something I wanted to be part of.
“The club is clearly moving in the right direction, and after coming so close last season, so hopefully we can build on that and have another successful year“
And head coach, David Artell, commented on the raw potential Andrews has for the level:
“We became aware of Josh from his time at Accrington, and he isn’t half a handful! He’s got all the attributes to be a real top striker.
He’ll provide great competition up the top end of the pitch and we believe we’ll get the best out of him.
“We’re looking forward to him joining us. One thing we do is create plenty of big chances, we created the most out of anyone in the league last season and we’re hopeful that with the plethora of talent we have available at that end of the pitch that we’ll score lots of goals.
“We think Josh will be able to do that.”
