Doncaster Rovers benefitted from Grimsby Town deal that proved blessing and a curse | OneFootball

Full-back Danny Andrew had a great season with Grimsby Town in 2016/17, however his one-year deal cost the club in the long run as rivals swooped.

As Grimsby Town returned to the EFL ahead of the 2016/17 season, then boss Paul Hurst brought in left-back Danny Andrew on a one-year contract. That deal that would prove both a blessing and a curse – with Doncaster Rovers the eventual beneficiaries.

Having come through the youth ranks at Peterborough United in 2008, Andrew enjoyed loan spells with Tamworth, Kidderminster Harriers, and Cheltenham Town respectively, before joining the latter permanently in 2010.

Spending the best part of three years at Whaddon Road, punctuated by temporary spells with Mansfield Town, Cambridge United, and sixth-tier Gloucester City, Andrew made 71 appearances in total for the Robins, before turning his loan with the Tigers into a permanent deal for the remainder of the 2012/13 campaign.

Showing he should be playing higher up the pyramid, he'd spend the following season with Conference Premier (today's National League) club Macclesfield Town, for whom he impressed greatly as an ever-present in the league for a competitive Silkmen outfit.

Andrew's quality and consistency during his time in Cheshire led to newly promoted League One side Fleetwood Town swooping to take the talented full-back to Highbury Stadium in 2014, paying an undisclosed fee for his services.

However, the following two campaigns saw the former Posh youngster plagued by injuries, a consistent issue that only allowed him to make sporadic appearances for the West Coast outfit before being released at the conclusion of the 2015/16 season.

That's where Hurst moved in to secure the signing of 26-year-old Andrew, whose aforementioned troubles with fitness led the Mariners to only offer a one-year contract to a player whose talents were, perhaps, above fourth-tier standard, but his reliability was something of an unknown quantity at the time. This would, however, become a decision the Blundell Park club would come to regret.

Danny Andrew established himself as one of the division's best full-backs

The dynamic left-back soon settled into his new surroundings, looking very comfortable at fourth-tier level for the hardworking, recently promoted Mariners side put together by their former Boston United boss.

Standing just under six feet tall, Andrew was more than capable of winning his aerial duels, but it was his engine that allowed him to maraud up and down the flank at will, combined with his quality on the ball, both in open play and from set-pieces, that saw him stand out.

The cultured Holbeach-born players' incisive passing and ability to find a colleague in dangerous areas allowed him to excel for a Grimsby side under Hurst and his successors, Marcus Bignot and Russell Slade, who'd both taken over the managerial reins at separate points during a 2017/18 campaign that was, perhaps, a little bumpy at times, but ultimately saw the Mariners consolidate their place back in the Football League with ease.

There was no sign of any fitness issues at all as Andrew became almost ever-present throughout the season, and with his impressive displays, interest from rival clubs grew.

Danny Andrew was voted Grimsby's Player of the Year for the 2016/17 campaign

The full-back's superb form saw him deservedly voted the Mariners' Player of the Year for their first League Two season in seven years.

His peers and supporters weren't the only ones that had noted his consistent all-round game, however, and with his contract expiring, newly-promoted third-tier side Doncaster took the opportunity to sign the player as a free agent on a two-year deal.

A successful spell in South Yorkshire followed. An injury-hit first campaign was far from an ideal start but Andrews showed his quality in League One in 2018/19.

The defender showcased his quality both in and out of possession – finishing the campaign with four goals and six assists as Rovers reached the play-offs but were beaten by Charlton Athletic on penalties in the semi-finals.

Having arrived for nothing, Doncaster had certainly benefitted from Grimsby's cautious approach to Andrew's contract but would suffer a similar fate themselves as they saw him walk to join Fleetwood Town on a free in the summer of 2019.

After a further four seasons in Lancashire, this time a far happier stay in which the left-back became an integral figure for a side regularly punching above their weight, the 33-year-old Andrew moved on to fellow third-tier outfit Cambridge United, where he has remained for the last 20 months.

The U's and their full-back, who has shown an ability to operate in central defence in recent years, too, currently find themselves propping up the League One standings and firmly embroiled in a relegation fight.

Andrew has shown he's a League One standard player over the past eight years, however, and while Grimsby may rue the shortness of his stay in North East Lincolnshire in 2016/17, and the fact they lost their Player of the Year for free, the fact they were able to entice such quality on their initial return to the EFL sees it viewed as both a blessing and a curse overall for Mariners' supporters.