Grimsby Town supporters have hired a mariachi band to play at Saturday’s game at Barnet after being banned from taking inflatables into the stadium.
A crowdfunding operation to pay for the Mexican music comfortably passed its £1,000 target and the band is expected to provide entertainment before and during the League Two match.
Grimsby supporters took inflatables to their most recent visit to Barnet, in the Conference in February 2015, and one fan was subsequently found guilty of assaulting a steward there with an inflatable shark.
The inflatables were brought along that day in protest at the treatment of a Grimsby fan at Forest Green Rovers for refusing to hand over a large beach ball.
The club’s followers famously took a huge number of Harry the Haddock inflatables to an FA Cup tie at Wimbledon in 1989.
Barnet decided to ban inflatables for Grimsby’s final away game of the season and Trevor Hewson, one of the fans behind the crowdfunding project, told the Grimsby Telegraph: “For whatever reason, the suggestion about a mariachi band, among other things, caught the imagination and a couple of us decided to set up a Crowdfunder page. It went a little bit crazy and it has absolutely surpassed our expectations.”
Funds not needed to hire the band will be given to Grimsby’s disabled supporters’ club.