Artell insists Grimsby 'deserved more' against Northampton - despite first half tactical issues
Grimsby Town manager David Artell was adamant that his side were the ‘better team’ for the majority of Saturday’s game against Northampton - despite admitting to the tactical issues that the Mariners faced in the first half.
Cobblers made all of the early running at Blundell Park, taking each of the first eight shots of the game, and while Grimsby did improve, no one could begrudge the visitors their half-time lead.
Matty Warhurst drilled them in front on 34 minutes before Town weathered a bit of a storm either side of the break, and then Jon Guthrie’s close-range finish, followed by Edon Pruti’s red card, ended the game as a contest.
Asked if his side got what they deserved from the game, Artell said: “Definitely not, 100 per cent not. I didn’t think we were very good for the first 20 minutes but we found our feet a little bit after that and Iwan’s had a great chance.
“They had come out flying at us and we didn’t understand their press, but we got the messages on, we rode out the storm and we got better, but then we shot ourselves in the foot and we reverted back to the first 20 minutes and it changes the course of the game.
“We could have conceded in that 20 minutes, Christy (Pym) has made a good save, and we’ve made a couple of great blocks, but then we had a couple of great chances ourselves.
“It was the same thing in the second half. We were the better team, our xG is nearly double theirs, but we just haven’t taken our chances and then we’re soft at a set-piece. Even with 10 men, we had the best chance in the last half-an-hour. Things just aren’t going for us at the moment.”
Going into detail on the tactical problems his side faced in the first half, Artell explained: “When the opposition play a box and it’s four against three in the middle of the pitch, it’s difficult. You’re a man down so you have to try and control the game in other areas but we didn’t do that well enough.
“They kept getting us but it’s not an individual thing, it’s a team thing and we have to make sure we aren’t overloaded in the middle of the pitch. We were getting overrun in the first 20 minutes and we turned the ball over too easily and that’s on us. We have to be more tactically aware and not as naive. Once we corrected it, we were the better team.”
Grimsby fans booed their team off both at half-time and full-time. The Mariners have now lost their last four games.
Artell added: “Fans are entitled to their opinions. I’m sure they are frustrated because I’m frustrated. We all are. If that comes out in booing, I accept that. I thought the lads showed unbelievable character and experience to stick at it after what happened to their team-mate.”