Grimsby Town made a “terrific” start to the David Artell era, the new boss has said.
The Mariners put in an excellent first-half performance away at MK Dons and led through Rekeil Pyke’s close-range finish, before being pegged back in the second half. But Artell took plenty of positives from the 1-1 draw.
“I thought we showed what we’re about in patches,” he said. “I said to them in there, credit to you. We’ve had an hour on the pitch and an hour in an analysis room going through various things.
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“It’s not easy coming in mid-season so we’ve tried to put a game plan together that brings out the best in terms of what we’ve got without stretching them too far, but also asking them to go outside their comfort zone and do things they’ve probably not done in their career.”
The point moved Grimsby Town five point clear of the relegation zone, and while they ran out of steam in the second half, Artell was delighted to see some of his ideas already bearing fruit.
“First half, we showed glimpses of what we’re about. Second half, we went into the shell a little bit and reverted to type,” he said.
“But take nothing away from them. Their lad should’ve scored right at the death, but we should’ve scored four before that. If it ends 4-2, nobody can complain.
“However, I want us to play like that. That’s the standard. Take nothing away from our lads – they were terrific with what we asked of them and it’s a great start to build off.”
Dons boss Mike Williamson praised the Mariners’ efforts. “They played with freedom and they were very good for 90 minutes,” he said. “For us, there’s lots to reflect on. I think we’re going to learn a lot from that.
“I felt we were second best overall in certain areas but I can’t criticise the lads because everything they’ve given us since we’ve been here has been excellent. It’s just one of them where its more about learning and we could’ve won it at the end so it shows the spirit going forward and the quality we have on an off-day.”
Original story at https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/
