Grimsby Town fan favourite Harry Haddock banned from FA Cup tie

Fans have been warned any inflatables taken into St Mary's will be confiscated

Grimsby Town fans have been banned from taking their "iconic" inflatable fish mascots to the side's forthcoming FA Cup tie against Southampton.

The club said its request to allow "Harry Haddocks" into the match on 1 March had been turned down.

In a statement, it said Southampton had made similar refusals to other clubs and warned that any inflatables found inside the ground would be confiscated.

Nearly 5,000 Grimsby fans are expected to travel to the match next month.

A Grimsby Town statement said: "The Club have today received confirmation from Southampton that Harry Haddocks will not be permitted at St Mary's for our Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round tie.

"We share our supporters' inevitable frustration at this decision but we know you will support us brilliantly in our first FA Cup Fifth Round tie since 1996."

Reacting to the news on social media fans described the decision as "joyless" and "boring", while one warned it would only encourage supporters to "organise something that will cause you a bigger headache".

A similar ban was imposed on Mariners fans in 2017 when the side travelled to Barnet on the final day of the season.

Fans were barred from taking inflatables to the match after they had taken hundreds to the same fixture two years before.

In response supporters raised more than £1,000 to pay for a Mariachi band to attend the game.