Grimsby Town felt off-field benefit of 2021 signing, Sheffield Wednesday will understand: View | OneFootball

2021 Grimsby signing Giles Coke turned out to be an invaluable asset, both on and off the pitch, with the ageing midfielder surpassing expectations.

When veteran midfielder Giles Coke joined a struggling Grimsby Town side from non-league Hereford in early February 2021, some supporters were a little perplexed, however, the addition of the 34-year-old turned out to be a masterstroke, with the Londoners' experience and know-how proving invaluable, both on and off the pitch.

Having been part of the youth system at QPR, Coke's first taste of senior football came at Kingstonian, joining his older brother Jon at the K's for the 2004/05 season.

The midfielder excelled with the non-league outfit. So much so that League Two club Mansfield Town took him to Field Mill, where the youngster would make his EFL breakthrough during the following campaign.

Energetic, combative, and with an eye for an occasional goal, Coke quickly became an integral figure in the engine room for the Stags, for whom he'd make 79 appearances over two seasons.

The all-action 21-year-old turned down an offer to prolong his stay in Nottinghamshire, opting instead to move to Northampton Town, who, despite the midfielders' fitness issues at the time, won the race for his signature ahead of the 2007/08 campaign.

Once over his injury setbacks, Coke became as important to the Cobblers as he was at Mansfield, playing 57 times over two seasons and impressing greatly through his all-round game.

The midfielder's next move saw him head up to Scotland and join top-flight side Motherwell, for whom he'd spend a solitary season at Fir Park.

Returning to England in 2010, Coke signed for League One Sheffield Wednesday, where he'd spend the next five years, punctuated by loan spells with Bury, Swindon Town, and Bolton Wanderers respectfully, making 101 appearances for the Owls, who won promotion to the Championship in the midfielder's second season with the club.

Following his release from Hillsborough at the age of 29, Coke's career tailed off a little. Sporadic spells with Ipswich Town, Chesterfield, and Oldham Athletic saw the midfielder play a bit-part, fringe role before he ended up at National League North club Hereford in the Autumn of 2020.

His time with the Bulls would be a short one, however, as Grimsby manager Paul Hurst overcame a registration issue to add the veteran to his Mariners ranks as they fought for their Football League status. A battle they'd ultimately lose, but Coke was one of the campaign's bright sparks, and, going into a new era of ownership for the club, his presence would be vital over the subsequent two seasons.

Midfielder a leader in the dressing room as Grimsby promoted in 2022

After a torrid first half of the 2020/21 season, Grimsby had turned to Paul Hurst, back for his second spell in charge of the Mariners, to try and sort out the mess left by previous boss Ian Holloway.

While the Blundell Park outfit would be unsuccessful in their quest to stay in the Football League, Hurst at least managed to put together a competent, battling unit in the latter part of the campaign.

Coke, along with returning forward Lenell John-Lewis, was a huge reason for the belated upturn in results, forming a strong midfield partnership with Fleetwood Town loanee Jay Matete.

Despite relegation, Coke had done more than enough to earn a new deal with a Grimsby side heading into non-league, but with high hopes, as much-needed new leadership and impetus took control of the boardroom.

That fresh initiative, along with some solid recruitment, led to a strong start to the 2021/22 National League season, with Coke at the heart of things.

While the veteran would ultimately lose his place in the team later in the season, playing more of a backup role in the end, the experience, both positive and negative, the 35-year-old had acquired over a long career in the game proved vital in the dressing room and on the training field.

Coke led by example, set the standards, and even though his first-team appearances gradually reduced in 2022, his role as a senior figure in a largely young squad helped guide his teammates, Hurst and Grimsby to a memorable play-off success and an instant EFL return.

Coke's final act as a Grimsby player was to lift the National League play-off trophy aloft with Luke Waterfall, who had taken over as captain in the midfielders' absence towards the end of the campaign, following Hurst's side's 2-1 extra-time final victory over Solihull Moors.

The former Mansfield Town man would remain at Blundell Park, however, joining the coaching staff as something of a mentor for the club's academy players, while helping out with various other duties when necessary.

At the time, Grimsby Live reported that Hurst had spoken of the appointment on the club's official website:"We want to develop and grow. We talked about giving the younger players a longer period of time to develop and, as a result, we want more staff, ideally, to help with that and Giles is someone that I felt would fit perfectly in that.

"That will be part of his job, to help the young lads, almost be a bit of a mentor and start his coaching journey.

"He will help Ben Davies and a couple of the other coaches with that group in particular. Once we have come through pre-season, he will also be with us at times with the first team, so it is a bit of a fluid role, but they're a couple of main aspects to it.

"He will also be speaking to the first team players about life after football and trying to prepare people for that. He has experienced that, so that is something we want to look more into, the player care which will come into that."

Coke, who is now involved with the Sheffield Wednesday youth teams, stayed in his backroom role for one season with the Mariners, assisting his fellow coaches and offering a wealth of knowledge to the younger players; and while he began his Grimsby stay by making a real impact on the pitch, he ended it by being an incredibly beneficial presence behind the scenes at Blundell Park.

The off-field impact of the 2021 signing cannot be underplayed and it is one that the Owls too understand.