How Grimsby Town's wage bill compares to the rest of League Two as play-off dream kicks on | OneFootball

Grimsby Town are pushing for promotion from League Two despite having a wage bill that is in the bottom half of the division.

It has been a tough two decades for Grimsby Town, who have dropped out of the Football League on two occasions in that period.

There were some fears that it could happen for a third time last season, although the Mariners did ultimately finish seven points clear of the bottom two in 21st place.

With David Artell appointed midway through the previous campaign, there was a sense of intrigue as to how his first full season at Blundell Park would go.

And, with five games to go, it’s fair to say that the former Crewe chief has done very well, as Grimsby currently occupy the final play-off place, with promotion a real possibility.

Grimsby Town are punching above their weight according to estimated wage bill

Whilst Grimsby will feel they have a squad that is comparable to many in this league, their estimated wage bill, which comes courtesy of Capology, suggests they are overachieving as it stands.

We must stress that these figures are only estimates, but it puts Grimsby down in 17th when it comes to the salaries they pay out, with the club said to be paying £63,350 a week to the squad, which works out at a yearly bill of just under £3.3m.

In comparison, Carlisle are the highest payers at £104,212 a week, despite their struggles, with leaders Bradford committed to £93,012 a week. To highlight Grimsby's overachievement, all six of the clubs ahead of them in the table have a higher wage bill except for Walsall (£59,250 a week).

Again, these aren't definitive figures, but you would expect Grimsby to be lower than most of their rivals, as they had recently been in the National League.

Furthermore, there appears to be a strategy in place where the club doesn't generally sign experienced players, as there aren’t too many over 30 in the squad, and that may impact the wage bill. This is backed up by the fact that they are joint-third youngest when it comes to the average age of the squad this season.

Grimsby Town are heading in the right direction under David Artell

Of course, promotion would be an outstanding achievement this season, but even if they do fall short, it’s fair to say that Grimsby are heading in the right direction.

As outlined above, like most in the league, they can’t just go out and splash the cash, so there needs to be a strategy in place, and the manager is getting the best out of his squad.

In the years to come, the aim for Grimsby will be to reach League One, and to try and consolidate at that level, which will be a tough task.