Grimsby Town manager David Artell has called on his squad to start performing after yet another disappointing defeat yesterday afternoon.
The Mariners hosted fellow strugglers Doncaster Rovers at Blundell Park, but were on the end of another thumping as Grant McCann’s side left Lincolnshire with a 5-1 victory. It’s a result which saw them slip to 22nd in the League Two table and they are six points above Forest Green Rovers in 23rd.
Although the gap is far from comfortable, it does give Grimsby some breathing space and they have also played less games than the two teams below them. However, that will count for nothing unless they can start picking up some points.
Artell is yet to celebrate a win this year, with their last victory coming against Salford City on December 29th. It’s their home form which is particularly worrying though, with five goals or more having been conceded in three of their last five outings in front of their own supporters.
Doncaster raced into a two-goal lead inside 10 minutes yesterday, but the hosts responded through a Danny Rose penalty. The manager believed that his side failed to capitalise on their momentum afterwards though. Speaking after the game, via Grimsby Live, the 43-year-old said:
“(Doncaster) scored a very good first goal and that happens. We then conceded a quick goal which knocked us. Then for the rest of that first half, we were comfortably the better side. Even their staff said the same thing.
https://twitter.com/RealEFLSocial/status/1759146333053538805
“We got a goal and should have been 3-2 in front. You got in 2-1 and we are still in the game. Really in it. And that’s the first half. We go out and concede again after six minutes and that knocked the stuffing out of us. It’s not the first time that’s happened.
“We have to understand that teams are trying to knock the stuffing out of us. It doesn’t have to be fatal. That’s football and that’s life. People will try and knock you down. The question is, do you get back up? Some of our lads found that difficult after the third goal.”
Artell continued, warning his side that they need to think of those within the club when they step foot on the pitch:
“I can fully understand (the fans’) frustrations. I feel like I can just repeat what I said last week (after Stockport). We don’t work in training to perform like that and it is as simple as that.
“I’ve got to get more out of them and the players have got to get more out of themselves. I told them that if they don’t want to do it for themselves, which I’m sure they do, or they don’t want to do it for each other, or me, then do it for the kid in the academy who dreamt of being where they are.
“Do it for the staff, that if the oblivion happens, lose their jobs, because that is what is looming over the hill. We’ve got 15 games to go, a third of the season, and we’ve got to make sure we don’t perform like that ever again because it has become the norm at home.”
Grimsby travel to in-form Morecambe next weekend before a potential six-pointer against Forest Green at the beginning of next month.
Writer’s View
After winning promotion from the National League in 2022, Grimsby finished a respectable 11th in League Two last season. There would have been a hope to kick on from there and challenge for a spot in the top seven, but the complete opposite has been true.
The Mariners will be hoping that the six-point gap will be enough to see them survive, and much could hinge on their meeting with Forest Green in a fortnight. However, Steve Cotterill knows how to grind out results and he could yet heap more misery on David Artell.
Head of Writing