David Artell admitted his side were made to pay for missed chances after the Mariners suffered a 3-1 defeat to Harrogate Town at Blundell Park on Good Friday.

Despite dominating large spells of the contest and creating numerous opportunities, Town were unable to make their pressure count, while Harrogate proved clinical with their finishing to take all three points.

Here’s everything the Head Coach had to say after the final whistle…

On the result

Artell felt the outcome ultimately came down to ruthlessness in front of goal.

“We didn’t take our chances,” he said.

“They were extremely ruthless.

“We started the game really well and dominated the game for long periods, but when our chances came we didn’t take them.

“They’ve had some heroic saves and blocks and then they’ve scored three really good goals, really good finishes from distance.

“Goals change games in our sport. One goal has a big effect and unfortunately today we came up short.”

On the early stages of the match

The Mariners boss believed his side made a strong start and could easily have been ahead before Harrogate struck.

“I thought we completely dominated the game for the first 20 or 25 minutes,” he explained.

“Jaze had a chance after about 20 seconds and we had other moments as well.

“They then hit us on the break and the lad sticks one in the top corner, then another one goes in off the post and suddenly you’ve got a mountain to climb.”

On the response after going behind

Despite falling two goals down, Artell was pleased with the way his side continued to play and work their way back into the contest.

“We didn’t need a reaction because we were already the better team,” he said.

“We just needed to keep going and keep playing well.

“We get back in it with a decent goal from Greeny and we had more chances after that.

“We could easily have gone in level at half-time and probably deserved to.”

On Harrogate’s clinical finishing

While frustrated with the result, Artell acknowledged the quality of Harrogate’s finishing on the day.

“Our defensive record is really good, so it’s frustrating,” he said.

“But sometimes you just have to shrug your shoulders and say they were really ruthless and we weren’t.

“The game is won in both boxes and today they were better in that regard.”

On tactical changes late in the game

Artell admitted a late tactical shift in search of a way back into the match did not have the desired effect.

“We changed shape to get two up top and it didn’t work,” he explained.

“We actually looked worse for it in the last 20 minutes.

“It’s easy to get sucked into thinking you need to throw more forwards on, but sometimes that disrupts the balance of the team.”

On chances missed

Despite the defeat, Artell believes the overall performance still showed plenty of positives.

“If we play like we did today more often than not we’ll win games,” he said.

“Their keeper has made a great save, Jude’s had a big chance, we’ve had a penalty, Jaze has had one early on.

“We’ve had lots of big chances but we didn’t take them, and sometimes football punishes you for that.”

On Jason Dadi Svanthorsson’s return

One positive for the Mariners was the return of Jason Dadi Svanthorsson following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

“He’s been a big miss all season,” Artell said.

“He should help us going forward but we’ve got to be careful with him because we know we’re not completely out of the woods with his injury.

“It’s good to have him back available.”

On squad options for the run in

With Zak Gilsenan and Henry Brown returning from loan spells, Artell believes they could play a role in the final weeks of the campaign.

“They’re both fit and available and they’ve been playing minutes which is helpful,” he said.

“I’m sure they’ll get opportunities in the last seven games.”

On bouncing back quickly

With another fixture arriving on Easter Monday, the Head Coach is already focused on a response.

“I’ve just said to the lads it’s not about the opposition, it’s about us,” he added.

“If we play well we’ll win more games than we lose.

“We’ve got to get back on the horse on Monday.”

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

UTM