David Artell believes Grimsby Town showed Chesterfield too much respect after going ahead early, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw at Blundell Park.

Jordan Davies gave Town the lead in the 17th minute after a promising start, but the visitors had the stronger response after the opener and deservedly equalised through a Tom Naylor head in the 33rd minute.

Grimsby did respond after the break, and the second half was much more even, with neither side willing to concede too much territory and relinquish control. His team started as he would have hoped, but the Mariners' second draw of the season left Artell with mixed emotions.

READ MORE: 'We took our foot off the gas': Lewis Cass reflects on Grimsby Town draw against Chesterfield

READ MORE: Denis Law - Lawman: A Tribute to the Legend

He said: “I thought we were the better team for the first 15 to 20 minutes, but we then showed them way too much respect for the rest of the first half.

“We got back on the front foot after the break but couldn’t quite get the goal, though it was not from a lack of trying.

“It’s a bit of an unusual feeling with this being our first draw at home this season because we are used to the contrasting emotions that come with winning or losing.

“Our next big step forward is a mental one in making the team understand that we’re as good as Chesterfield and others around us. For whatever reason, we mentally took a step back after scoring because we felt the need to be deeper to stay in front.”

Chesterfield ended the first half with 68% possession, completing more than double the passes that Town did while having more shots on goal. The half should not have unfolded as it did after Davies’ opener, but Artell believes there is a mental barrier his team must overcome.

Chances created from open play were at a premium for the visitors despite their dominance in that period of the first half, but Artell was still frustrated with the territory his team gave up after scoring, which allowed their opponents an easy route back into the game.

The Town chief added: “On one hand, it worked because most of their chances came from set pieces, as did the goal, which in itself was hugely frustrating because we’d worked on defending that specific corner scenario.

“It might have worked to an extent, but at the same time, they had the initiative and the possession. It wasn’t because they were super in their build-up; it was more about our mindset at that point in allowing them to have that control.

“We handed them the initiative shortly after we scored, and that, of course, is not how I want us to play football, and I don’t think the fans want that either. They want to see a proper game with us playing on the front foot, which is what we did in the second half.”