David Artell praised his players’ performance and character after the Mariners secured an important 3-2 victory over Crewe Alexandra at Blundell Park.

Town looked in control for large periods of the game before two late Crewe goals narrowed the scoreline, but Artell felt the result was thoroughly deserved and an important step forward with the season approaching its final stages.

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

On securing the three points

Artell was pleased with the overall performance and believed the Mariners were good value for the win.

“I thought we fully deserved it,” he said.

“We switched off for the last five minutes of the game, but I thought we were fairly comfortable throughout the whole game to be honest.

“Once we got our nose in front, it wasn’t a great quality game in the first half but I thought we took the game by the scruff of the neck early on in the second half.

“The goals at the end are disappointing because we pride ourselves on clean sheets and being good at both ends of the pitch.

“In truth it probably gave the scoreline a false reading, but it takes nothing away from the result. It’s an outstanding three points against a decent team who were above us before the start of the game.”

On his half time message to the players

The Head Coach was particularly pleased to see his players respond quickly to the tactical instructions given during the interval.

“We spoke to them at half-time about one or two things and the best thing I can say is they went out there straight away and did it,” he explained.

“That’s a credit to the lads. It’s really pleasing as a coach when you feel the players are listening to you and taking on board what you’re saying.

“I’ve said before, they’re a great bunch.”

On taking control at 3-0

With the Mariners three goals ahead during the second half, Artell felt his side had full control of the game before Crewe struck late.

“I thought we were completely in control,” he said.

“I can’t really remember Jacko having a save before the 88th minute.

“They had a few crosses and corners, especially with the wind, but I never felt like we were under pressure.

“They’ve got two goals out of nothing really, which I felt was undeserved.”

Despite the late goals, Artell was keen to keep the focus on the result.

“At this stage of the season, as long as we score one more than the opposition, I’m not going to pick the lads apart,” he added.

“We’ll use it as a learning point and go again.”

On sharing the goals around

Artell also highlighted the importance of contributions from across the squad, with Town continuing to spread their goals among several players.

“We’ll never rely on one person to score goals,” he said.

“We haven’t got the resources that some other teams have, so we’ve got to share them around.

“I think we’ve got about 20 different goalscorers this year and that’s important.”

He also praised the contribution of striker Andy Cook, who scored twice in the victory.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Cooky has scored a couple today,” he said.

“He’s been getting in the right positions over the last few games and just hasn’t had the rewards.

“He’s a born goalscorer.”

On focusing only on Town’s results

With other results elsewhere potentially influencing the promotion race, Artell insisted his side will continue focusing on their own performances.

“I didn’t know the other results until someone told me on the way here,” he said.

“They’re not irrelevant, of course, but it’s not where our focus is.

“We’ve got to look after ourselves and it’s in our hands.”

On players returning from injury

Artell was also encouraged to welcome back Charles Vernam to the matchday squad after injury, although the winger was not required from the bench.

“It was pleasing that we didn’t have to use him,” he said.

“It gives him a few extra days to get fully up to speed.

“He always works extremely hard when he’s not available and tends to heal quite quickly, so it’s great to have him back.

“Hopefully we’ll have one or two more back in the next week or two as well.”

On the upcoming trip to Chesterfield

Looking ahead, Artell is keeping things simple as the Mariners prepare for their next huge test against Chesterfield.

“It’s worth three points, just like today was worth three points,” he said.

“We’ll concentrate on ourselves, respect the opposition like we did today, and try to win the game.

“It’s as simple as that.”

You can watch David’s full interview with the club media here:

UTM