Grimsby Town boss took 'lots of positives' from EFL Trophy outing at Chesterfield

David Artell was pleased with what he saw from a much-changed Grimsby Town team despite defeat in their final EFL Trophy group game.

The Mariners’ exit from this year’s competition was already confirmed before kick-off against Chesterfield, who ran out 3-2 victors on Tuesday night. Still, a squad that featured multiple youth scholars and first-year professionals put up a good fight.

Curtis Thompson and Jordan Davies were also given their first match minutes, returning from long-term injuries and came through okay, so it was another productive night for Artell.

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He said: “Result aside, that was a good night for us. It was never about the result because we couldn’t progress no matter what happened, which is why we chose the side we did.

“We had two scholars and other first-year pros on the pitch, and they were all a real credit to the football club. There were some really good performances. I thought Callum Storr was excellent, and Cam Gardner achieved his first senior goal.

“There were lots of positives; the goals we scored were excellent, which gives me the belief that the squad listened and learned while still having lots of things to work on. Chesterfield picked a strong team, and we gave a really good account of ourselves.

“For as long as I’m at this football club, I’ll give youth a chance. I gave Cam Gardner the opportunity at the end of last year, and we saw how he progressed over the summer. He has now scored that long-overdue first goal.

“The goal of the game was to come away with no new injuries while giving certain people opportunities while still playing the way we want them to. It was a good game against an experienced team that would be a handful for our usual starters, never mind our youth players.”

Storr and Henry Brown started the game at Chesterfield, and Harvey Cribb replaced Thompson after 30 minutes in a pre-arranged substitution. All three youth players gave a good account of themselves, as did Cameron Gardner, who has broken into the first team properly this term and scored his first senior goal.

With key players making their return and young talent gaining vital early experience, Artell extracted the most out of a meaningless midweek fixture as he could. For that, he came away with a positive outlook.

“Curtis looked like the player we all know,” added Artell. “He looked sharp and wanted to get on the ball. Jordan showed glimpses of his quality, but you could tell he was not match fit.

“Cribby [Harvey Cribb] came on [for Thompson] and, after taking some time to adjust, looked good in the second half and again, he is another first-year pro that we’ve given a chance here.

“It was a really positive night. We’re still a work in progress, but the good thing is that you can see that all the lads are picking up what we want from the team and have been coached to play a certain way.”