David Artell praised Grimsby Town’s performance as the Mariners scored five goals to beat York City at Blundell Park and record back-to-back victories in Sky Bet League Two.
Town produced an impressive display in front of more than 8,000 supporters, coming from behind to secure a deserved 5-2 victory over their promotion rivals in an entertaining lunchtime encounter.
The head coach described the contest as a fantastic advert for League Two, with both sides contributing to an exciting first half before the Mariners took control after the break. Artell was particularly pleased with the way his players carried out their half-time instructions, restricting York to very little in the second period while adding three further goals.
Artell also discussed the continued development of Géza Dávid Turi and several of Town’s younger players, praised Josh Andrews for his hard work in recent months following a difficult start to his time at the Club, and highlighted the importance of maintaining high standards across the squad.
The Town boss also thanked the supporters for creating an outstanding atmosphere at Blundell Park, with the home crowd playing their part in an excellent afternoon for the Mariners.
Here’s everything the head coach had to say after Saturday’s victory…
On the performance and the result
Artell was delighted with the Mariners’ display, describing the game as a fantastic advert for League Two. While acknowledging York’s quality and their attacking threat, the head coach felt Town were deserved winners and particularly praised their defensive work against one of the division’s strongest attacking sides.
He also highlighted the quality of the five goals scored by his side, believing the players produced an outstanding all-round performance.
“I thought it was a hum-dinger, if I’m being honest. I thought it was a proper, proper good advert for League Two. Two decent teams. York are a good team. As I say, I watched them Tuesday night. They were good on Tuesday night and were unfortunate to lose. I don’t think they were unfortunate to lose today. I thought they were second best to us.
“They’ve created the most big chances in the league, I think, and I think we’re second. We’ve kept them to one big chance, 0.36 xG. That’s an outstanding effort against the ball, against a really good team.
“And we’ve scored five cracking goals. Like, cracking goals. And deserved to win the game.”
On coming from behind
The Mariners made a positive start through Andy Cook’s excellent header from Cameron McJannet’s cross, but found themselves trailing after two outstanding finishes from the visitors.
Artell felt York’s goals were moments of individual quality, although he was pleased with the way his players responded, with Town restoring parity through Iwan Morgan before the break.
The head coach also explained the thinking behind the approach to the game, with Town expecting to enjoy plenty of possession against a York side who like to control the ball.
“We knew that we were going to have the lion’s share of possession today. York like to control the game, like to feel the ball. So, we knew that when we had the ball, we had to attack with a bit of gusto, as opposed to controlled build-up or anything like that.
“We’ve got an overlapping centre-half crossing for the experienced veteran. And it was a terrific header. It was trademark Andy Cook. I don’t even think the keeper dived, it was that good.
“They’ve scored two absolute corker goals themselves. Hunt’s goal is a terrific goal. Nobody’s stopping that. And the second one, there’s a foul in the build-up. Cam McJannet gets whacked in the face, but then the other lad scores a great, great curler as well.
“Then we score a terrific second goal from pinching the ball high and going across the pitch. Iwan gets a bit of a tap-in, but you can miss them. They’re not easy finishes. They look easy when they go in the goal, but they’re not.”
On the half-time instructions and second-half dominance
Town came out after the interval and took control of the contest, scoring three more goals while limiting York’s opportunities.
Artell was particularly pleased with how his players responded to the instructions given at half-time, stressing that the credit belonged firmly with the squad for understanding and executing the changes.
He felt the Mariners were much more comfortable both in and out of possession during the second half, with their defensive organisation proving just as important as their attacking quality.
“There’s nothing more comforting as a head coach than giving lads instruction at half-time and they carry it out to an absolute T. And you win the game. Not because of it, because I don’t want you to think that it’s me. It’s the players.
“The players have got to understand what we’re saying and then go and be able to do it. The players deserve a huge amount of credit for taking on board the instructions at half-time.
“I can’t remember them having a chance. I think Felix hit one over the bar from outside the box near the end. I don’t think they’ve had another shot at our goal. Maybe they have, I can’t really remember, but we said there were no big chances.
“We’ve dominated the second half really. Even though it’s been sort of our possession dominance, they couldn’t get through us. And we scored three more terrific goals.
“As much as the first half was back and forth, I thought we were much more in control in the second half. When we had the ball, and crucially, when we didn’t have the ball. Whereas in the first half, we weren’t. It was uncomfortable.
“But we’ve deserved to win the game. That’s the bottom line.”
On Géza Dávid Turi’s continued development
Turi continued his impressive recent form with another goal against York, prompting praise from the head coach, who believes the midfielder’s progress is an excellent example of the standards expected throughout the squad.
Artell highlighted the importance of mentality, hard work and a willingness to keep learning, pointing to several other players who have made significant strides in recent months.
“He’s getting better and better. That’s what we ask the players to do. It’s as simple as that. We don’t want players who think they’ve cracked it, because football’s got an awful habit of kicking you right in the shins if you have that mentality.
“I think mentality probably trumps skill. It normally does. And Geza’s a great example of how you get better.
“He came as a little scrawny kid, didn’t he, from the Faroe Islands, with his woolly fisherman’s jumper on and some horrific shark crisps. And now he’s looking like a proper footballer.
“That’s been the same with Greeny and Harvey. Sonny Finch is getting better and better and better. Iwan Morgan’s getting better and better and better. We ask all the players to improve, and thankfully they listen and take it on board and they train.
“If they do that, one thing I can promise them is they’ll get better, because we’ll coach them properly. And hopefully we’ll see more performances like that from all the players.”
On Josh Andrews’ hard work and first goal for the Club
Andrews was among the goals against York, capping an improved performance after a challenging start to his Grimsby Town career.
Artell was particularly pleased with the striker’s contribution, revealing that he has worked extremely hard to improve his fitness and has lost around seven kilograms in recent months.
The head coach believes Andrews is now beginning to see the rewards for that effort and was delighted to see him receive recognition from his team-mates and supporters.
“He’s had to work really hard. The truth is he came out of shape. He knows that, we know that. He’s lost about seven kilos. That’s nearly a stone in weight. It’s mental.
“He’s worked extremely hard. He’s just had a massive round of applause. He’s had some words from Greg Howard and some from the other lads. And if you put the hard work in, you’ll get your rewards. That goes for any walk of life, really.
“So I’m delighted for him. He could have had a hat-trick. He hit the post, he’s had a one-on-one and just hasn’t quite got his foot round it, and he’s scored a good goal.
“I’m glad for all the players, really. I thought they all performed really well. And they’ll keep improving, whether it’s an Andy Cook at 35, 36, or an Elliot Smith as a first-year pro. Keep working hard, keep improving, and you never know where it’ll take you.”
On the atmosphere at Blundell Park
More than 8,000 supporters were in attendance for Saturday’s lunchtime fixture, with the Mariners’ home support joined by a sizeable travelling contingent from York.
Artell was full of praise for the atmosphere inside Blundell Park, particularly following the Remembrance Day two-minute silence, and thanked supporters for the role they played in helping the team secure an important victory.
He also stressed the importance of everyone connected with the Club pulling in the same direction.
“I thought it was a terrific atmosphere. I watched them on Tuesday night at Barnet and I thought the fans there were outstanding. I thought they were good today. They’ve travelled in big numbers. I know it’s only up the road, but it’s not very often we get that here at the minute.
“Our fans are just brilliant. After the Remembrance Day two-minute silence, the atmosphere was terrific, wasn’t it? You could smell the atmosphere. They certainly played their part today and we thank them.
“We’re all in it together. Fans, players, staff, senior management, board, chairman, owners. We all want the same thing. And the fans certainly played their part today.”
You can watch David’s full post-match press conference here:
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