David Artell praised his side’s character and dominance after a dramatic late winner secured a 1-0 victory over Fleetwood Town at Blundell Park.

The Mariners left it until the closing moments to find the breakthrough, but the Head Coach felt the performance fully warranted all three points.

Here’s everything he had to say…

On the performance:

Artell was full of praise for his side’s display, believing they controlled the game from start to finish.

“Deserved,” he said. “If it was a boxing match, they’d have had a standing count after about half an hour.

“I thought for the vast majority of the game we were completely dominant. We’ve had 53 touches in their box, which is a ridiculous number.

“The only criticism is we didn’t score more than one and didn’t score earlier, but the performance was magnificent.”

On persistence paying off:

Despite the late nature of the winner, the Town boss always felt his side were worthy of taking maximum points.

“I didn’t think the result was going to come at one point, but we deserved it,” he explained.

“It shows great character to keep pushing right until the very last second and go on to win it.”

On the response to Saturday:

After disappointment at the weekend, Artell was pleased with how his players reacted.

“Of course that’s the response you want,” he said. “The lads didn’t need me to tell them Saturday wasn’t good enough, they know that themselves.

“My job is to tell them how to be better, and tonight they showed that.

“It was one team that was far superior to one that was eight unbeaten, and I think we showed the gulf between the two.”

On the winning goal:

The decisive moment came from Jaze in stoppage time, capping off another strong individual contribution.

“I’m not bothered who scores, to be honest,” Artell said. “But it’s a terrific return for him in his first season in the Football League.

“It’s going to take us all, along with the rest of the squad.”

On squad depth:

With several injuries in the squad, Artell highlighted the importance of contributions from across the group.

“It’s going to take us all,” he said. “We’ve got half a dozen injuries for the first time this season, so when players come on and make an impact like Justin did tonight, it’s really important.

“Whoever we call upon, the quality is there. We’ve seen that.”

On the Cambridge & Chesterfield postponements:

Artell also explained the reasoning behind the recent postponement of upcoming fixtures.

“It was just the sensible thing to do,” he said. “We didn’t want to risk being down to the bare bones with the injuries we’ve got.

“I understand it might inconvenience supporters and I apologise for that, but we’ve got to make decisions in the best interest of the football club.”

On the fans:

The Town boss was keen to highlight the role of the supporters in helping drive the team on.

“The fans were magnificent,” he said. “The atmosphere was really good and it does help us.

“I’m delighted we scored late, it shows why you’ve got to stay right until the end.”

On Evan Khouri:

Artell provided an update on Evan Khouri following a recent specialist assessment.

“He’s in a knee brace for four weeks and will be reviewed after that,” he confirmed.

“We may see him again this season, but we won’t rush him. We’ll know more when he’s reassessed.”

On building momentum:

Attention now quickly turns to the next challenge, with Artell eager to see his side build on the victory.

“We’ve got another big game on Saturday,” he said. “The lads will rest up, but another win is required.

“It’s about backing this up now.”

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

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