John Tondeur: Radio Humberside's Grimsby Town commentator to step down

Grimsby Town commentator John Tondeur is hanging up his microphone after a 40-year career

John Tondeur, who has been the 'Voice of the Mariners' for 40 years, is preparing to hang up his BBC Radio Humberside microphone. He looks back on his career with BBC Look North's Phillip Norton.

Headphones on, microphone live and with a glance across the pitch, John Tondeur took to the airwaves to deliver his pre-match team news, as he has done for an incredible 40 years.

Generations of Grimsby Town fans around the world have listened to 'The Voice of the Mariners' describe the club's fortunes through thick, thin and thinner over that time.

Only this was not quite the team news they expected.

This was not a broadcast about the absence of a striker, or who was on or off the substitutes' bench; it was a broadcast that marked the end of an era, as the former primary school teacher-turned commentator announced he was to finally hang up his BBC Radio Humberside microphone at the end of the season.

Mr Tondeur has been a trusted voice for Grimsby Town fans since the 1980s

It prompted an outpouring of love and support for the fans' favourite, affectionately known by his initials JT, who has provided a soundtrack to Saturdays for as long as many can remember.

"He's a Grimsby Town legend without ever kicking a ball," wrote one fan on X, formerly Twitter, while the club's co-owner and chairman Jason Stockwood, who has listened to the broadcaster since childhood, described Mr Tondeur as a "much-needed connection to Grimsby for those who live away".

Born in Cleethorpes, Mr Tondeur got hooked on the Mariners after his father took him to watch his first game against Norwich City in 1959, aged seven.

"I'd rather go out while I'm still happy with what I'm doing, rather than going home and someone saying I wasn't very good today," he said, ahead of making his announcement before Grimsby's 1-0 victory over MK Dons at Blundell Park on Tuesday.

"I just got a feeling that I'm not quite as sharp as I was - and my eyesight definitely isn't," he laughed.

Mr Tondeur had an unlikely break in to broadcasting thanks to winning a radio pop quiz in the early 1980s, which led to an offer he could not refuse.

His unflappable, on-air style led to a "paid hobby" for Mr Tondeur, whose first foray into Saturday afternoon football began with providing goal flashes in the Mariners' 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town on 31 March 1984.

"We didn't do full commentaries in those days, and I did OK. Then somebody said to me afterwards 'you saw a different game to me' and I think people have been saying that to me ever since," he chuckled, reflecting on the spotlight he suddenly found himself in.

BBC Radio Humberside commentator John Tondeur is stepping down after a 40-year career

Since that day, Mr Tondeur has guided listeners through most of Grimsby's highs, from the upper reaches of the old Division One (now the Championship), a double Wembley season in 1998, knocking Liverpool out of the League Cup - which they held - at Anfield, and more recently the history making FA Cup run which ended with a quarter final with Brighton last year.

"The Alan Buckley era was probably the best football I've seen at Blundell Park over the years," he says of the former manager who went on to become a friend and co-commentator.

JT's finest moments

Grimsby Town players celebrate their Vanarama Football Conference League Play Off Final win at Wembley in 2016

Here, in his own words, Mr Tondeur shares his personal highlights.

• The promotions under Alan Buckley were great. Grimsby just played fantastic passing football, which was unbelievable and I don't think people really appreciated it until later. If you go back and watch some of the videos of the goals Grimsby scored under him, they were just stupendous footballing goals. Passing and movement was his big thing and the goals were amazing. I'll always remember John Cockerill scoring the two goals against Exeter in 1991 to get promotion.

• There was a League Cup tie with Tottenham Hotspur in September 2005, and Spurs had just about put out their top side. But we were the better side all night that night. It ended 1-0 with Jean-Paul Kalala scoring the winner. Russell Slade was the manager and we just played them off the park.

• I think my favourite bit of commentary is the goal that sealed the victory against Forest Green when we came back into the Football League for the first time at Wembley. It was more or less the last kick of the game that gave Grimsby a 3-1 lead, so you knew that was the goal that took them back up. I didn't have anything planned about what I was going to say at the time, it was from the heart and I tried to just call the moment really. The words I used were, "The agony is finally over", and I think I used the word "relief" because Town fans had suffered a lot.

In more recent years there have also been many lows, which Mr Tondeur has nursed listeners through with empathy and feeling. Relegation from the Football League - twice - particularly hurt, especially with one of those seasons coinciding with the Covid pandemic.

"Football is for the fans, and while it was a privilege to still be able to be at the games to report on them, it was a horrible atmosphere when the stands were empty, particularly with Grimsby going down."

Somewhat ironically, it was Mr Tondeur and the Radio Humberside teams' coverage of the club's first drop out of the league which led to one of the highest accolades in radio, a Sony Radio Academy Award.

'Been a privilege'

Generations across northern Lincolnshire have grown up knowing a familiar, trusted voice would be attending, even if they could not.

"What I try and do is imagine I'm talking to a mate who can't be at the game, and just telling him what's happened…without swearing," he said.

"If the other team score a goal, the listeners don't want to hear how they scored - they want to hear how we let it in.

"It's been a privilege to do it as long as I have."

With Grimsby Town in another scrap to avoid dropping out of the league this season, it is perhaps not the career finale Mr Tondeur may have hoped for.

But whatever happens between now and the end of April, he promises the Voice of the Mariners will still be echoing around Blundell Park in future, if not always through speakers.

"I've loved it, and I know I'm going to miss it.

"It'll be weird watching a game and not talking about it, but I will be able to join some friends, and perhaps have a beer in the fanzone with them which I've not been able to do.

"I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me. My wife has been most supportive over the years, as have most players - and most managers

"I think the club is in a good place with the new owners. The biggest thank you goes out to the fans, who have supported me over the past 40 years."

For those who tuned in on Tuesday, the final whistle brought a summary from Mr Tondeur that might just have sweetened any earlier upset at the news of losing their commentator.

"And that'll do. The Mariners win. A huge, huge victory here - three important points. It's Grimsby Town one, MK Dons nil."