David Artell faced the media following Town’s superb 1-0 victory over Notts County at Meadow Lane, sealed by Charles Vernam’s stunning 85th-minute winner.

In front of nearly 2,000 travelling Mariners, Town produced a disciplined and mature display to claim three huge points on the road.

Here’s everything the boss had to say…

On the game plan and overall performance:

“I thought the game plan was good,” Artell said.

“But more importantly, I thought the lads executed it outstandingly well.

“Being in the mid-block, frustrating them – we frustrated not just their players but probably two thousand people behind us as well because they couldn’t get through us.

“They’re a good team, especially here. They’ve got one of the best home records. But I thought we were magnificent and that’s why we won the game.”

Artell felt his side controlled large spells, particularly in the first half, while remaining alert to changes after the break.

“They came out second half and tweaked a few things. There was a spell where we had to work it out, so we made a little adjustment, then another, and we got comfortable again.

“They asked lots of questions of us and I thought we had answers to them all.”

On the defensive display:

Up against one of the division’s most dangerous attacking sides, Artell was full of praise for his team’s organisation.

“I thought we were magnificent defensively,” he said.

“They’ve had a header late on from a set-piece and one or two moments, but not much really.

“To keep players like theirs quiet, they’ve scored five here last week, you know you’ve got to play well. And I thought we did.”

He was also keen to stress that it was a collective effort.

“It wasn’t just the defence. It was the whole team. Everyone understood their role.”

On Vernam’s ‘vintage’ winner:

With five minutes remaining, Charles Vernam cut inside and bent a superb finish into the far corner to spark wild celebrations in the away end.

“That’s Chaz, isn’t it?” Artell smiled.

“It’s one of his strengths, part of his repertoire. A terrific goal.

“We’ll get him one inside the box at some point this season!

“But I thought he was very good, and so were they all.”

On squad depth and six changes:

Artell made six changes to the starting XI but felt it highlighted the strength of his squad.

“We’ve got a good squad,” he said.

“Whoever we ask to do a job, they take it on board and do it really well.

“We needed legs at the top end of the pitch today when we countered and broke. That was the thinking behind it.

“I thought Ev was very good, I thought Geza was very good – they all were. And you have to be when you come to a place like this.”

On Jude Soonsup-Bell’s role:

Jude Soonsup-Bell returned to the side and led the line selflessly, earning praise from his manager.

“Tactically, he’s outstanding,” Artell explained.

“He’s very good with his back to goal and that was really important for us today, to stay connected to the rest of the team.

“He’s still young and finding his feet in professional football, but he’s got a bright future because he’s really good.

“We don’t define our nines purely by goals. His role today was about keeping the ball, linking play and helping us stay solid. I thought he did it brilliantly.”

On momentum and the bigger picture:

The result means Town have now lost just once in their last 12 matches.

“We’ve got momentum, we’ve just got to keep it going,” Artell said.

“The table can lie at times. For us, it’s about continually improving and making progress.

“You reap your rewards by plugging away and doing your stuff properly. Wins like today are part of that – it’s another three points.

“If we can keep this run going over the remaining games, we’ll be there or thereabouts. That’s the challenge.”

On the travelling support:

Nearly 2,000 Mariners packed out the away end and were in full voice throughout.

“They were fantastic,” Artell said.

“You stand in front of them at the end and you don’t really want to leave.

“You hope they’ve enjoyed that because the feeling is brilliant. They were magnificent – you could hear them all game.”

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

A huge three points on the road, a clean sheet against one of the division’s strongest home sides, and momentum firmly maintained.

Attention now turns to Tuesday night’s clash with Salford City, as the Mariners look to build again.

UTM