Grimsby Town felt off-field benefit of 2021 signing

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 declined a chance to stay longer in Nottinghamshire and chose to sign with Northampton Town, who won the competition for his signing prior to the 2007–08 season despite the midfielder’s fitness concerns at the time.

After overcoming his injury setbacks, Coke played 57 games over two seasons, making a big impression with his all-around game, and established himself as a key member of the Cobblers.

The midfield player’s next move was to Scotland, where he joined Motherwell, a top-tier team, where he would play just one season at Fir Park.

After moving back to England in 2010, Coke signed a five-year contract with League One Sheffield Wednesday. During that time, he had loan stints with Bury, Swindon Town, and Bolton Wanderers, respectively. Coke made 101 appearances for the Owls, who in the midfielder’s second season won promotion to the Championship.

After being freed from Hillsborough at the age of 29, Coke’s career took a slight downturn. The midfielder played a bit-part, marginal role throughout sporadic stints with Ipswich Town, Chesterfield, and Oldham Athletic until joining Hereford in the autumn of 2020, a National League North team.

But his time with the Bulls would be brief, as Grimsby manager Paul Hurst signed the veteran to the Mariners as they battled for their Football League status, overcoming a registration problem. Coke was one of the campaign’s bright spots, and as the club entered a new age of ownership, his presence would be crucial over the next two seasons, even though it was a war they would ultimately lose.

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 became part of Paul Hurst’s coaching staff at Grimsby before moving on in 2023

Hurst’s team defeated Solihull Moors 2-1 in extra time, and Coke’s farewell act as a Grimsby player was to hoist the National League play-off trophy alongside Luke Waterfall, who had assumed captaincy in the midfielders’ absence towards the conclusion of the season.

The former Mansfield Town player would stay at Blundell Park, though, joining the coaching staff to serve as a mentor of sorts for the team’s academy players and offering assistance with other tasks as needed.

Hurst had discussed the hiring on the club’s official website, according to Grimsby Live at the time: “We want to develop and grow.” Giles seems like he would be a great fit for our goal of giving the younger players more time to grow. We have discussed the need for more staff to aid with this.

“He’ll be helping the young guys, sort of acting as a mentor, and beginning his coaching career as part of his employment.

“He will specifically assist Ben Davies and a few other coaches with that group. It’s a bit of a fluid job, but there are a few key components. After the preseason is over, he will also occasionally play with the first team.

“He’ll also be trying to prepare them for life beyond football by talking to the first team players about it. Since he has firsthand knowledge with it, we would like to investigate the player care aspect of it further.

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.

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