David Artell expects more goals from Evan Khouri after opening account

Dec 26, 2024 2 min read
Grimsby Town manager David Artell
Grimsby Town manager David Artell

David Artell was delighted for Evan Khouri to net his first professional goal for Grimsby in their 2-1 home win over Harrogate.

It was the Mariners’ first win over Harrogate, with Khouri and Jason Dadi Svanthorsson’s second-half strikes enough to power their team to a winning response after back-to-back defeats before Christmas.

Stephen Duke-McKenna ensured a nervy finish for the hosts after he scored direct from a free-kick with eight minutes of normal time to play.

“That’s (goals) the next stage in his (Khouri’s) 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.”

The Mariners have surprised some with their results this season which sees them right in the play-off mix, but the performance was just as important on this occasion.

“We were back to what we have been this season,” explained Artell. “We were combative, energetic and fully deserved the three points. I thought a 2-1 scoreline flattered them, so my one criticism was that it wasn’t a greater margin.

“They scored directly from a free-kick and five or 10 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.”

On the opposite side of the coin, it was a fifth-straight defeat for Harrogate.

However Simon Weaver still came away with pride in his team’s performance.

“It was an improvement on the previous four games,” said Weaver. “When you’re on a losing run and things aren’t quite falling for you, you’re keen on scoring the first goal, but they did out of the blue.

“It was a far better performance from our point of view. We all want the result, but we’ve come to play on a difficult surface and ground with great home support, and we didn’t look like a team that had lost four in a row.

“There were two moments in our box that we didn’t deal with, and we had moments in their box where we couldn’t quite execute. Those big moments swinging our way would’ve made a huge difference.

“It’s not easy opposition, and there are no gifts at this level, but the team’s reaction optimised the players’ efforts today.”

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