David Artell spoke to the media following Saturday’s draw with league leaders Bromley at Blundell Park, as the Mariners capped off a strong week in Sky Bet League Two.

Town produced an impressive performance against the division’s top side but had to settle for a point, despite creating a number of big opportunities throughout the contest.

Here’s everything the boss had to say…

On a strong week for the Mariners:

The draw means Town have taken seven points from a demanding run of fixtures against Notts County, Salford City and Bromley.

Artell admitted there was a hint of frustration after the final whistle, but kept the wider picture firmly in perspective.

“We have to make sure we’re not just sitting in isolation.

“It’s been a big week for the football club and three really tough games and we’ve got seven points from it.”

Despite that return, the Mariners boss felt his side could have taken even more.

“The truth is I thought it should have been nine.

“We’ve had six big chances, their goalkeeper’s man of the match, and we just couldn’t quite get over the line.”

Still, Artell acknowledged that seven points from such a challenging week would have been gladly accepted beforehand.

“Would I have taken seven points this time last week before we played Notts County? Yeah, I would have.

“So I can’t be too disappointed.”

On creating chances against the league leaders:

Town created several opportunities against Bromley, but were repeatedly denied by an inspired display from the visitors’ goalkeeper.

Artell highlighted one moment in particular which summed up the afternoon.

“He’s pulled off three outstanding saves in about four seconds in the second half.

“And he’s made an unbelievable save 17 seconds in that stops the ball going over the line from Charles Vernam.”

Despite the frustration of not finding the decisive goal, the Mariners boss was pleased with the overall performance.

“We did enough to win the game today against a good team who are really effective at what they do.

“But we didn’t quite have the rub of the green in front of goal.”

On the team’s tactical adaptability: 

Artell was full of praise for how his players carried out different game plans across the week.

After approaching the matches against Notts County and Bromley in contrasting ways, the Town boss believes his side showed their ability to adapt.

“The tenacity, the shape and the movement with the game from the players was exemplary.

“I thought we were very good at what we asked them to do.”

He also pointed out the contrast between the two fixtures.

“We asked them to play a completely different way against Notts County away.

“We asked them to play a different way today and they’ve shown how they can adapt.”

On the improvement since the reverse fixture:

Artell admitted the Mariners had been determined to put things right after their defeat at Bromley earlier in the season.

“We didn’t play well down there.

“Bromley away and Barnet away were probably our two worst performances of the whole season.”

With that in mind, he felt Saturday’s performance showed clear progress.

“We knew we owed a performance against Bromley and we had it in us.”

On Charles Vernam’s penalty and injury concern:

Charles Vernam got Town on the scoresheet from the penalty spot but was feeling discomfort late in the second half.

Artell explained the situation following the match.

“He was feeling his Achilles and said it was just a little bit sore.

“We don’t take any risks.”

With a busy run of fixtures ahead, the club will now assess the winger over the coming days.

“We’ll see how he is on Monday morning and as the week progresses.”

On the defence dealing with Bromley’s threat:

Artell also praised his defenders for standing up to Bromley’s physical attacking approach.

“They can load balls into your box from anywhere, but we limited them to very little.”

The Town boss was particularly pleased with the centre-backs’ performance against Bromley’s forward line.

“I thought both centre-halves were good.

“They showed a vast improvement against a real physical player in Kabamba.”

He also singled out Maldini Kacurri for his display.

“He’s a great guy, a really good character, really committed and aggressive in his approach to the game.

“I thought he had a very good game.”

On the atmosphere at Blundell Park:

Artell was also quick to praise the supporters for their role in Saturday’s contest.

“I thought the atmosphere was outstanding.

“I thought the fans were brilliant.”

The Town boss felt the crowd helped create a fitting backdrop to a competitive game between two strong teams.

“I think they saw a really competitive game and two decent teams.”

Looking ahead:

With the Mariners now unbeaten in 13 league matches, Artell believes the team have shown their quality over a sustained period.

“We’ve shown over the last 14 games in the league that we’re a decent team.”

However, attention quickly turns to another demanding stretch of fixtures, with five games scheduled in the next two weeks.

“We’ve got Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday.

“We’ve got to make sure we hit that head on and perform as well as we have done in these last three games.”

And after a positive week against some of the division’s strongest sides, the Mariners remain firmly in the promotion conversation.

“We’ve still not won anything or done anything yet, but we’re still right in the mix.”

You can watch David Artell’s full post-match interview with the club media here:

UTM