David Artell says Town must maintain their standards when they welcome Crawley Town to Blundell Park on Saturday, with the Head Coach insisting there will be no complacency following last weekend’s victory over Bristol Rovers.
The Mariners produced an impressive defensive display to beat the then-League Two leaders 2-0, with Kieran Green and Géza Dávid Turi getting on the scoresheet.
Artell was pleased with Town’s work without the ball but believes there is still plenty of room for improvement in possession as the Mariners look to build on their unbeaten start to the league campaign.
The Head Coach also provided updates on the fitness of Andy Cook and David Harrington, discussed Turi’s new two-year contract and international call-up, and previewed Saturday’s meeting with a Crawley side he expects to provide a very different test.
Here’s everything Artell had to say ahead of Saturday’s game…
On the latest injury news
Artell provided an update on Andy Cook, who was forced off during last weekend’s victory over Bristol Rovers, with the striker having undergone a scan.
“He’s had a scan. He needs another one. So, it was sort of inconclusive. I don’t know when he’s having it actually. So, until that happens, we don’t know definitively.”
Harvey Rodgers was also withdrawn against Rovers but has recovered from the knock he picked up.
“He’s fine. Absolutely fine.”
There was less positive news regarding goalkeeper David Harrington, who has been ruled out with a fractured finger.
“David’s got a fractured finger. There’s a huge amount of credit for playing on.
“It’s only his little finger. It’s the knuckle as opposed to the knuckle that joins the palm of the hand. It’s just not as serious if it’s the knuckle that joins the sort of palm of the hand, but it’s still a fracture.
“So, that’s where he’s at. Christy’s coming along, and we’ll assess them both as we head into the weekend.”
On Géza Turi’s new contract
Turi signed a new two-year contract with the Club this week, extending his stay at Blundell Park until June 2028.
Artell was delighted to get the deal over the line and believes the midfielder deserves enormous credit for the progress he has made.
“Yeah, look, it’s been rumbling on for a while, and we’re delighted we’ve got it over the line. I think I said I had breakfast with his agent. Was it before Bristol Rovers? Or it might have been the game before, and we’ve been trying to work hard to find a deal that works for everyone, and we’ve done that.
“He’s come on leaps and bounds. We can remember when he was lifting 12kg dumbbells and nearly hitting his head because he couldn’t lift them, to the sort of player he is now. He’s physically got much, much better, and there’s still growth in that area.
“Technically he’s improved. Obviously, tactically he’s improved. He’s become an important player for us. That’s a credit to him. He’s taken on what we’ve tried to coach him.
“I think he likes it here. I think he likes the area. I think he likes the Club. I think he likes the environment, and he deserves a huge amount of credit for the improvements he’s made, because it’s one thing me telling him what to do and trying to show him, and all the other bits to the game. It’s another thing working at it and actually implementing it, and he’s done that.
“So, it’s a reflection of how hard he’s worked and the value that we see in him. We hope that his next two years with us will be as fruitful as his last two.”
On Turi’s remarkable week
Turi’s new contract came just days after his spectacular goal against Bristol Rovers, while the midfielder was also called up by the Faroe Islands for the upcoming international break.
Artell believes the recognition is the result of years of hard work from the 25-year-old.
“I think it’s a reflection of not just weeks or months of hard work. It’s literally years of hard work. He deserves all the plaudits he’s currently getting. There’s no getting around that.
“We hope he gets a lot more because it means he’ll have played well in a lot more games. He’s started off the season well, and we want his level of performance to continue to get better and be consistently at that level.
“That’s the challenge for him. The challenge for him is to be an eight out of 10 Saturday and have a huge influence on the games because he can.
“He’s a good player and he deserves the plaudits that are coming his way.”
On how high Turi can go
With supporters already dreaming about what Turi could achieve during his time at Blundell Park, Artell believes the midfielder should focus on the elements of his development that are within his control.
“That’s such a sort of subjective and open question. The best thing he can do is work hard and continue to get better and get into League One with us.
“That’s the best thing he can do because he’s not relying on anyone really liking him or getting a chequebook out. That’s the best thing that can happen because you’re in control of that to a large part yourself, a much greater part than a transfer, if you like.
“That’s the challenge, and then when he gets into League One, establish himself there and then see where you get to after that.
“I’m not sure. But that should be the short and medium-term goal for him, as it is for a few of them.”
On the touchline ban
Artell also gave his thoughts on the conclusion of the investigation into the incident at Cheltenham Town, which has resulted in Ray Shearwood receiving a one-match touchline ban.
“Not really. I think there was an instigator. There was a person who tried to diffuse the situation, who then got kicked and tripped up, which resulted in him getting sent off and a fine and a one-match ban.
“That’s the way I saw it having reviewed the footage. I think that’s the way that the punishment’s been meted out, to be honest, and you go, ‘Fair enough.’ That’s it really.
“I think I can’t really say any more than that. I spoke to Ray, obviously, sharing my thoughts, that will remain private, and that’s it.
“The FA look into it. They do their job. They do what they think’s necessary and right and just, and I go, ‘Okay, that’s where we’re at,’ and we move on.”
On avoiding complacency
Despite the impressive nature of last weekend’s victory, Artell was quick to dismiss any suggestion that Town are getting carried away with their start to the season.
“We’re not getting carried away. Let me tell you now. Don’t mention them words. We’re not getting carried away. Not for me. So, we can put all that to bed right now.
“One win. Yeah, okay. Good performance. Certainly against the ball. Didn’t play particularly well with the ball. Did okay.
“We’ve won two games all season. It’s like, come on. That’s not… if we start getting the bunting out now, then we’re in a whole world of trouble.
“So, there’s no getting carried away at all. I’ve said to the players: one win. Yeah, okay. Good performance. Now we move on.”
On areas for improvement
Artell was pleased with Town’s defensive performance against Rovers but believes the Mariners must now find greater consistency in possession.
“The off-the-ball stuff, the against-the-ball stuff was fantastic. The best we’ve played for a while. In possession, we weren’t brilliant. Now we’ve got to make sure we ask the players for a 90-minute performance.
“We played well in the second half at Cheltenham, first half at Accrington, and there’s still that finding the feet for some. And that consistency across 90 minutes happened against the ball.
“Now we’ve got to find consistency for 90 minutes against the ball and with the ball. That’s the challenge. That’s how we’re going to continue to get better. So, I’m never going to be satisfied because there’s always refinements. But we’re far from perfect Saturday.
“We were good and we put a good team to the sword, and we did it really well against the ball. But with the ball, we weren’t great, and we’ve got to improve that area as well as maintaining the off-the-ball stuff that limited a decent team to 0.09 xG.”
On the challenge posed by Crawley
Artell expects Saturday’s opponents to provide a completely different challenge to Bristol Rovers, with Crawley looking to impose their own possession-based style on the game.
“If you allow them to play football, they’ll get you. They’ll beat you. They’re a decent football team. They try and play football the right way. It’ll be a completely different team than we faced in the last game in terms of style. If you let them play it and give them the space, they’re a decent team.
“They’ve got goalscorers in the team. They’ve got creative players in the team, and they’ve got a way of playing that can hurt you. You can’t allow that to happen.
“So, if you do and you think you’ve cracked it, or, you know, I can’t remember your words, but words to that effect, you will get a kick in the shins. It’s as simple as that.
“That’s how football is. It’s how professional sport is. So, we’ve got to approach the game right again, like we did last week for the early kick-off.
“3pm this week, and you’ll be right. Come a minute to three, you’re absolutely primed and ready to go because that’s what wins you games of football.
“We’ve got to be ready for whatever Crawley throw at us, and we’ve got to make sure we hurt them in the areas we think we can exploit them in.”
On how Crawley have developed
Artell believes Crawley’s current style was already beginning to take shape when the two sides met towards the end of last season.
“I think you could see back in April the seeds of what’s been implemented now. Really distinctive style, really clear philosophy. I know if I was a player, I think I’d know exactly what the manager would want from me.
“I think that’s a credit because that shows the work that’s gone in on the training ground. Doesn’t mean that there’s answers to it because there’s always answers to whatever situation, and we’re going to find them answers.
“So, yes, Colin’s had a summer transfer window where he can bring in his own players to a degree and more work on the training pitch. You can see that. You can see that with how they play, the style that they play. They can hurt you if you give them enough space.
“And we’ve got to make sure that we deny them that space.”
You can watch David’s full pre-match interview here:
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