Grimsby Town manager David Artell has voiced a lot of praise over the performance of his side in recent times, but singled out 21-year old midfielder Evan Khouri as one to watch following impressive performances in recent times.
The Marriners’ academy graduate has made the central midfield position in the side his own, appearing in all 22 of their league matches so far, he is now into his fifth year with the club, having also been with non-league side Spennymoor Town for a brief period of last season.
But following his first professional goal against Harrogate Town yesterday, his manager was full of praise for how hard he has been working, speaking to The Grimsby Telegraph:
“That’s [goals] the next stage in his development,” said Artell. “He has got an excellent technique with both feet, so it’s about his mindset and changing that a little bit. He can get opportunities because he has bags of energy.
“He’s fit as a butcher’s dog, so he can get into those positions consistently, so much like we’ve worked with Kieran Green on similar things with his mindset to score and create goals; that’s the next big thing for Ev.
“If he can conquer that side of the game, he will be some player because he has shown that his all-round game can be strong already, and it was excellent here.”
Grimsby Town now sit in 8th place in League Two, only outside of the playoffs on goal difference, with out of form high flying Port Vale the visitors on Sunday before travelling to Accrington Stanley and Bradford City to conclude the festive period.
But manager Artell is quietly confident about his side’s chances of promotion, especially if they are able to keep up their impressive away form, where they are third in the league on games played on the road, and was very impressed with the way they killed of Harrogate Town:
“They scored directly from a free kick and five or ten minutes of pressure, but I thought we were better than them all over the pitch. What we all demand is that the team run around, and we’ve got to show quality as well, which we did enough of to beat Harrogate for the first time.
“We all know that it’s never going to be constantly fluid as the game goes on, but to a man, the starting 11 and those that came on had an understanding of their roles. With the exception of the 82nd minute to the 88th, I thought we were the better team, and that was built on hard work, endeavor and quality.”
Writers View
Evan Khouri has definitely been one of the standout breakthrough prospects of League Two this season, and will be delighted to cap off his good performances with his first senior goal on Boxing Day.
You get the feeling that if Grimsby Town are to secure an unlikely top-seven finish, then he is going to be absolutely crucial to get them over the line.
