David Artell was back in front of the media ahead of Wednesday evening’s Sky Bet League Two clash with Accrington Stanley, reflecting on Saturday’s goalless draw at Newport County, discussing squad updates and previewing another important test as the Mariners look to extend their unbeaten run.
Here’s everything he had to say on the key topics…
on the 0-0 draw at Newport and lessons learned:
“I wouldn’t say chances were limited – we didn’t take them. We should have been two or three up at half-time. We’ve hit the post, the bar, Harvey’s had a great chance, Ev’s had a great chance… we’ve obviously missed a penalty as well. We had some big chances.
“We weren’t clinical enough, we weren’t ruthless enough. In the second half we didn’t do enough with the ball, we didn’t keep the ball well enough, and that was really disappointing after a dominant first-half performance.
“That was something we spoke about this morning with the players, maintaining that level from the first half into the second. So we’re disappointed we’ve only come away with a point, but that shows how far we’ve come.
“We drew there last year and everyone was OK with it. Now we’re nine unbeaten and disappointed. When you look at the bigger picture, we’re still on the right track. We’re still making progress and we’ll continue on that journey.”
on drawing away against teams near the bottom of the table:
“There’s no easy games in League Two. We haven’t lost to the bottom five away from home, I appreciate we haven’t beaten them either because we’ve drawn four, but that shows progress.
“We should have beaten Barrow. We were cruising at 2-0. We should have beaten Shrewsbury, they had one shot on target, but that can happen.
“I’m going to look at it positively, of course I am, but we haven’t got blind faith. We’re working hard to improve all the time, that’s not changed since the day I walked into this building.
“The next challenge is not just to be consistently okay and then good sometimes, it’s to be consistently good all the time. That raises the bar.”
on the team’s overall progress:
“Before Christmas the year before last, we’d play well in half a game and then be terrible. Then we’d string a good result together and be terrible the next game.
“The MK Dons game was really important because it was the third game in a week, you only have to look at Doncaster two years ago, when the game was done after about 10 or 15 minutes. So we’ve progressed and we continue to progress.
“There’s still a long way to go. We started off at a low bar, but we’re making significant strides and we’ll continue to do that because we’ve got a good culture, a good work ethic and a good group.
“We’ve got staff that want to achieve and get the club up the leagues, that’s the vision of the whole club, and we’ve got the ability to do that throughout the organisation.”
on putting the Newport result into perspective:
“It’s a point closer to the play-offs than where we were before the game. It’s a point that sides like Chesterfield didn’t get there earlier in the season.
“They beat Accrington 4-1 and didn’t deserve to. Accrington didn’t deserve to lose that game, it was close until the red card. These are good teams. It’s not an easy place to go. They’re fighting for their lives.
“So a nil-nil away at Newport is disappointing, but I think that shows progress and how far we’ve come.
“It’s another clean sheet – is that six in seven? The only goals we’ve conceded are an own goal that was probably going out for a throw-in and a penalty that on another day doesn’t get given.
“We’re making great strides defensively. The lads are trying hard, nobody’s rolling over, we’re fighting for each other. But we need a bit more quality on the ball as well. That’s the challenge going forward.”
on Jayden Sweeney missing out at Newport:
“He’s fine. Obviously he was a bit unfortunate to miss out. I spoke to him after the MK Dons game – it’s quite a big decision bringing somebody off after 30 minutes, but I think it helped the game.
“You’ve got to make sure a player understands why, and I told him why. He’s a great kid, he’s trained really well and he will play games in this first team, there’s absolutely no danger of that.
“Reece has done well and now we’ve got two excellent left-backs. We had a good one last year but only one – now we’ve got two outstanding ones, probably better than last year.
“Whoever we choose has to do well because the other one is ready to come in. We’ve got to pick a team based on who’s in form, who’s in good shape and how we can expose the opposition’s weaknesses.
“He understands that. He’s been professional, he’s getting better and learning every day.”
on the challenge Accrington Stanley will bring:
“If you said to me, ‘what’s Accrington’s DNA as a football club?’ I’d say up and at you, come and get you, energy. Some really bright players, all in it together. John and Jed have done excellent to get that together as a group.
“I watched them beat Salford in a freezing cold storm and they were full value for the victory. Salford missed a few chances at the end, but they did their fight and scrap and got their nose in front with a terrific goal, and that’s why they win games of football.
“That is the Accrington DNA. That’s why they’ve won the last three and why they’re on a decent run. I think they were bottom of the league in September and they’ve gone on a brilliant run, they’re only just behind us. Why? Because they work their socks off and they all know what they’re doing.
“We’re no different. We’ve got to make sure that happens for us, show more quality on the night and stop any potential quality that comes the other way. If we do that, we’ve got a good chance of winning, but it’s not going to be an easy game, that’s for sure.”
You can watch David Artell’s full pre-match press conference here:
With momentum building and the Mariners determined to keep moving forward, your backing under the lights could make all the difference as Town look to turn strong performances into three points.
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