Signing of cult hero in 2000 was both a blessing and a hindrance for Grimsby Town: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Chinese international defender Zhang Enhua was a notable loan signing for Grimsby Town at the start of the century, though his time at the club was quite possibly a factor in the later departure of fans' favourite Peter Handyside.

Many younger supporters of Grimsby Town won't be familiar with the club's stay in the second-tier of English football throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Two decades of decline has seen the Mariners become more accustomed to lower levels within the game. Many, however, will have heard the name of Zhang Enhua, and about the Chinese internationals' brief but memorable stay in North East Lincolnshire.

Enhua, born in 1973 in the coastal city of Dalian in China's Liaoning province, came through the ranks at his hometown club Dalian Wanda (changed to Dalian Shide following a takeover in 2000) in the Chinese top division. A committed central defender, Enhua would win seven Chinese league titles with the now defunct Dalian club either side of a three-month loan deal with then Championship side Grimsby.

Managed in those days by the experienced Lennie Lawrence, who had taken over from club legend Alan Buckley, the Mariners were a consistent feature in the second tier, as Blundell Park became a tricky place to visit for the likes of Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United on a regular basis.

Having spent seven of the previous eight campaigns at Division One (the Championship in today's game) level, Lawrence decided he was going to look further afield in the transfer market, not only bringing in Enhua on loan, but securing similar deals for Danish striker David Nielsen, who joined from FC København and Norwegian full-back Knut Anders Fostervold, arriving from Molde FK; while Dutch midfielder Menno Willems signed on a more permanent basis from Vitesse Arnhem.

Enhua was brought in as cover for classy Scottish defender Peter Handyside. The Dumfries-born centre-back, a graduate from the Mariners' youth setup in 1992, was a very popular and talented member of a successful Grimsby squad for many years, though he was struggling a little with persistent injuries at that particular time.

Taking a couple of games to adjust to the English game, the man on-loan from Dalian soon began to flourish in a Grimsby shirt, with supporters enjoying his committed, wholehearted displays - including goals against Burnley, Wimbledon and Bolton Wanderers - at the heart of the defence for a Mariners side continuously punching above their weight against much bigger clubs with far more resources.

At the conclusion of Enhua's loan, and the 2000/01 season, Grimsby finished 18th in the second-tier, just below Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich City, and ahead of the likes of Crystal Palace, Queen's Park Rangers, Portsmouth and Huddersfield Town. But though the Chinese players' short stay had largely been a positive one, it was to come at a cost that would frustrate some Mariners fans moving forward.

Peter Handyside exit dealt Grimsby double blow

Peter Handyside was a key part of the Mariners setup throughout the 1990s. Making his first-team debut at the age of 18 and amassing well over 200 appearances for the club - most of which coming against some of the aforementioned biggest clubs outside of the Premier League at that time. Taking over the ball-playing centre-back mantle from Paul Futcher, Handyside - who played for Scotland's under-21 side on eight occasions - quickly established himself as a reliable member of the Grimsby defence, often partnered by the likes of Mark Lever, Graham Rodger or Richard Smith.

Most memorable is, perhaps, the 1997/98 Wembley double-winning season, as the Mariners won twice in a matter of weeks (the clubs first ever visits to the national stadium) to seal the EFL Trophy (Auto Windscreens Shield) and a bounce-back promotion from the third-tier through the play-offs against AFC Bournemouth and Northampton Town respectively. Successes Handyside was pivotal in achieving alongside his colleagues.

However, the 2000/01 campaign was one which saw the Scotsman blighted by injuries, as well as the early departure of boss Alan Buckley, the man who gave the defender his breakthrough into the first-team picture, a combination that proved tough for Handyside. As Enhua was brought in as cover by Buckley's replacement Lawrence, the Chinese loan player was often preferred to Handyside when both were fit in the latter part of the season.

The culmination of these factors was very possibly the reason that Handyside decided to move on from Blundell Park, joining Stoke City, who were then a division below the Mariners. Being overlooked in favour of a player there on a short-term loan may have been Handyside's tipping point as he decided to head for pastures new.

The Dumfries-born man was also popular during his time with the Potters, helping them gain promotion in his first season there before playing his part in their Championship (Division One, as it was known then) survival the following campaign. Spells at Barnsley and Non-league clubs Northwich Victoria and Hucknall Town followed before Handyside retired from playing in 2007.

Many Grimsby fans feel his Blundell Park departure in 2001 was an avoidable one, though, and something which very much cost the club in the long-term, as with Zhang Enhua returning to China and Handyside's departure to Stoke, the Mariners were hit with a double defensive blow to address ahead of the 2021/22 season, and more frustratingly, the loss of a highly-regarded club stalwart that had come through the ranks to serve the club so well on a free transfer.

Very few players to have worn the black and white stripes of Grimsby Town can claim to have been part of their national team's squad at a World Cup Finals. However, one year on from his time at Blundell Park, and now back with Dalian Shide in his homeland, Enhua was selected in China's 23-man squad squad for the 2002 global showpiece jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan, though the defender didn't make an appearance as his side lost all three group stage games against Brazil, Turkey and Costa Rica.

Enhua made 65 appearances for his nation overall, his debut coming in 1995. The defender took part in the AFC Asian Cup and the Asian Games in the mid-to-late 90s, as well as one successful and one unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign before his international career came to an end in 2002.

After brief spells at fellow Chinese club Tianjin Teda and South China in Hong Kong, Enhua hung up his boots in 2006. Tragically, Zhang Enhua passed away in 2021 at the age of just 48. Equally saddening was the death of his former Mariners' teammate, Peter Handyside earlier this year, aged 49. Both men are very fondly remembered by the Grimsby faithful for their efforts and achievements during their time with the club.