David Artell hailed a “terrific” and hard-fought victory as the Mariners secured a dramatic 2-1 win over Cambridge United with a stoppage-time winner on the road.

In a fiercely contested encounter between two in-form sides, Town showed resilience, quality and character to claim all three points and strengthen their play-off position.

Here’s everything the Head Coach had to say following the win…

On a “terrific advert” for League Two

Artell praised both sides for their contribution to an entertaining and high-quality contest.

“Yeah, I thought it was two good teams,” he said.

“I thought it was a terrific game, a terrific advert for League Two.

“You could see why they’ve only lost once here at home and you can also see why we’re now in a play-off place.

“I thought it was two really good teams playing in their own ways.”

On a closely fought contest

The Head Coach felt the game could have gone either way, with chances at both ends throughout.

“We could have been two or three up in the first half with the one-on-ones and last-ditch blocks,” he said.

“But then they’ve had chances as well, they’ve hit the post and probably should have scored before they did.

“It was nip and tuck all the way through.”

On bouncing back again

Artell highlighted his side’s resilience following a recent setback.

“When these lads take a wallop on the nose like we did at Chesterfield, they don’t half know how to bounce back,” he said.

“They deserve a huge amount of credit.

“They’ve gone to the well again and got the last drops of water, and they’ve got their rewards in the end.”

On Jackson Smith’s penalty save

The Town stopper played a crucial role with a key save, something Artell credited to the work done behind the scenes.

“It’s the work we do, the processes we do,” he said.

“Scoring penalties, saving penalties – it pays dividends.

“When you’ve done the work and you think that’s where it’s going, you get your rewards, and we got them tonight.”

On a dramatic late winner

The Mariners left it late to seal victory, but Artell was clear that the manner of the goal mattered little.

“I don’t know whether it’s his chest or his thigh,” he said of the winning goal.

“But it’s gone over the line and it’s a goal, and that’s all we’re bothered about really.”

On finishing strong

Artell revealed his side were confident they could make their pressure count late on.

“We knew they have a tendency to concede late goals,” he said.

“And we know that we tend to finish strong.

“So if we were in the game, we knew we’d have a chance.”

On standout performances

While praising the team collectively, Artell highlighted several individual contributions.

“I thought the delivery for the first goal was outstanding and the header was equally as good,” he said.

“He’s got a knack of being in the right place at the right time.

“I thought Justin was outstanding as well. I could go through them all, to be honest.”

On the defensive effort

Artell was keen to stress that the defensive performance was a collective effort.

“It’s not just the defence why we’ve only conceded one goal,” he said.

“It’s everyone.

“They’ve got some good players, so it required a full team effort.”

On the travelling supporters

More than 1,000 Mariners made the long journey to Cambridge, something the Head Coach was quick to acknowledge.

“Just unbelievable numbers,” he said.

“To travel three and a half hours, sold out, chanting and singing all game – it’s incredible.

“I just hope they’re as happy as I am.”

On keeping grounded

Despite the late winner and the emotion that came with it, Artell reiterated the importance of staying level-headed.

“That feeling is euphoric,” he said.

“But it’s my job to make sure we don’t get carried away, and we won’t.

“They’re a really humble group.”

On the challenge ahead

With another crucial fixture on the horizon, the focus quickly turns to the next test.

“Yeah, of course it’s a big game,” he said.

“Tonight was a big game, Saturday will be a big game, and hopefully we’ve got more after that.

“We rest up and go again.”

With momentum building and confidence high, the Mariners now turn their attention to Saturday, determined to keep their play-off push firmly on track.

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

UTM