David Artell lauds ‘professional performance’ from Grimsby in Barrow romp

Boss David Artell praised Grimsby’s ruthlessness in their resounding 5-0 victory over League Two’s basement club Barrow at Blundell Park.

Kieran Green and Jaze Kabia netted braces after veteran forward Andy Cook scored the opener as the Mariners maintained their play-off standing on goal difference.

It was a tentative start for the hosts, who won at home in midweek in stoppage time against Fleetwood to return to the top seven, but once Cook struck in the 17th minute, it was relatively plain sailing.

“It was a thoroughly professional performance,” said Artell.

“It took us a while to get going in the first half, but then the first proper move we put together we scored, and then we scored another good goal on transition in the first half.

“The third goal puts the game to bed really, and after that it is mainly about concentration and continuing to play the same way which we did well.

“It’s not easy to win a game 5-0, and last weekend they [Barrow] kept a clean sheet.”

With the standings as tight as they are for the final couple of play-off positions, every point, every goal and every clean sheet could be important for Grimsby in their pursuit.

Artell added: “We played some really good football on a tricky pitch, which makes it hard to play flowing football, but when we did, I thought we were extremely efficient with it.

“We said to them at half-time that clean sheets and goal difference may play a part come the end of the season, so we told them not to let up even though we were in a strong position.

“We don’t want to feel sorry for anyone, but you’ve got to make sure you win the game first.

“No doubt we’ll have tougher games for the rest of the season, but you can only beat what’s in front of you, and the players have listened to our points and were very good in what they did.”

For the visitors, this latest defeat is another tough pill to swallow as they find themselves languishing at the bottom of the fourth tier by two points, working under their fourth different manager.

“We’ve been undone by a quality outfit in the end,” explained Barrow interim player-manager Sam Foley.

“We were competitive in the early stages of the game, but they were ruthless going forward in the end, and when the team is lacking in confidence, it is difficult to come back.

“We just have to keep fighting and believing we can turn this around, no matter how difficult results like this are to take.”