David Artell spoke to the media ahead of tonight’s clash with Fleetwood Town, as the Mariners look to respond quickly following Saturday’s narrow defeat at Oldham Athletic.

Town head into the fixture having lost just twice in their last fifteen matches, and the boss is keen to see an immediate reaction from his side.

Here’s everything he had to say…

On bouncing back from the defeat:

Artell admitted the performance at Oldham fell below expectations but stressed the importance of moving on quickly.

“Of course, we want to respond straight away,” he said. “We didn’t do ourselves justice and came out on the wrong side of a tight game.

“Having now watched it back, I haven’t really changed my opinion – I thought it was a poor game. We were probably the better team second half, but not by much.

“We didn’t do enough to win it, but probably not enough to lose it either. Those are the fine margins, so we lick our wounds and go again.”

On maintaining perspective:

Despite the setback, Artell emphasised the importance of keeping a level-headed view given the team’s strong run of form.

“We’ve lost two in fifteen, there’s not many teams on that kind of run,” he explained. “We’ve got to keep that perspective.

“We’re a decent team and we didn’t show it on Saturday, but we’ve got to get back on the horse and show it again.

“If we have two defeats in the next ten or eleven games, we’ll be there or thereabouts. That’s what we’ve got to aim for.”

On the challenge of Fleetwood Town:

Fleetwood come into the game on an impressive unbeaten run, and Artell expects a different test compared to the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

“They’ve obviously had a decent run and they’re a bit different now,” he said. “They want to play more football and are more possession-based than before.

“That’s not to say they ignore the out-of-possession side, but you can see how they want to progress the ball now. It’s a different challenge, but nothing we haven’t faced.”

On focusing on performance:

Artell was clear that the emphasis must remain on his own side’s performance levels.

“It’s not so much about what Fleetwood do, it’s about what we do,” he said. “We’ve got to react to what was a poor showing from us in possession.

“We’ve got to keep the ball better than we did on Saturday if we want to give ourselves a chance of winning the game.”

On Oldham’s approach:

The Mariners boss dismissed suggestions that Oldham deployed a low block, instead crediting their aggressive approach.

“Oldham weren’t in a low block at all, they came and got us,” he said. “They made it really difficult for us to play.

“But the truth is, it was more about our lack of quality on the day. We had too many players off it. That can happen, but we’ve got to put it right.”

On dealing with different challenges:

With a variety of tactical approaches expected in the run-in, Artell stressed the need for adaptability.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a high press, mid-block or low block – we’ve got to have the answers,” he said.

“We’ve got to be better than the opposition, be really good in possession and competitive without the ball. When we play well, we’ll give anyone a game.”

On consistency in the run in:

As the season enters its decisive phase, Artell highlighted consistency as a key strength.

“That’s why we’ve only lost two in fifteen,” he said. “I’m not worried about us being consistent.

“We had a dip on Saturday, but the key now is how we respond. We responded well after Bristol Rovers and we’ve got to do the same again.”

On the importance of the next fixture:

While some may point to a defining period in the season, Artell insists the approach remains unchanged.

“It’s the old cliché – on to the next one” he said. “This game is worth exactly the same as one in August or November.

“We’ve got to be us, be really good at what we do, and win the game. That’s always the challenge.”

On fan support:

Artell also called on supporters to play their part under the lights.

“The fans were magnificent in the last home game,” he said. “We want that atmosphere again because it works both ways.

“We’ll try and give them something to cheer about, and their support can really help us.”

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

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