David Artell is pushing his Grimsby Town side for greater ruthlessness despite a comfortable 2-0 home win over Crawley Town. The victory at Blundell Park extends the Mariners' unbeaten league start and lifts them to third in League Two with 13 points from seven games.
Iwan Morgan opened the scoring from the penalty spot on the half-hour mark, netting his first goal for the club. Kieran Green then doubled the advantage just before half-time, scoring for the third consecutive match. The result means Grimsby have now taken ten points from a possible twelve at home this season, scoring seven and conceding only two.
Yet manager Artell was left frustrated by the margin of victory. His team created chances worth an expected goals total of 3.78 but only converted two of them, with Charles Vernam missing a first-half penalty. "I said well done to the players because it is never easy to win games of football at this level, but we’re still frustrated because it should’ve been more," Artell said.
He emphasised that scoring is a collective duty. "It’s a real positive to keep another clean sheet, but we’ve got to become more ruthless, and we shouldn’t be comfortable winning 2-0 when we could easily win by three, four, five or six." The manager praised the defensive unit for a third clean sheet in four home matches but warned against any complacency despite the strong form.
Artell also highlighted the tactical discipline shown by his players, who managed the windy conditions well and adapted to Crawley's approach. He credited the Blundell Park crowd for making it a difficult venue for visiting teams, a factor he wants to maximise throughout the campaign.
The win continues a positive run of form, with Grimsby now unbeaten in five league matches. Their recent results, including a 2-0 win over Bristol Rovers and draws against Cheltenham and Accrington Stanley, have stays just two points behind leaders Barnet.
Attention now turns to maintaining this momentum on the road. The Mariners travel to face Newport County next Saturday. Newport currently sit 19th in the table, presenting another opportunity for Artell's side to strengthen their promotion credentials. Check the upcoming schedule on our fixtures page.
With 11 goals scored and only six conceded this season, the foundations are strong. But Artell's clear message is that his team must start turning dominance into more decisive scorelines. The next test comes at Rodney Parade on 26 September.
First reported at Grimsby Live
