“Disgustingly Bad” – Grimsby Town Boss Slams Officials Following Controversial Late Away Draw

Grimsby Town head coach David Artell has labelled the standard of officiating in the EFL “terrible” following his side’s 1-1 draw away at Sutton United, in his post-match interview with BBC Radio Humberside.

The Mariners looked set to take a huge three points back to North East Lincolnshire following on-loan Coventry City striker Justin Obikwu’s flick-on just before half-time, before Grimsby Town captain Danny Rose was judged to have handballed it in the area with two minutes remaining.

After consulting the linesman, referee Alex Chilowicz awarded Steve Morison’s side a penalty for the subsequent handball, which Charlie Lakin dispatched to ensure the points were shared at the VBS Community Stadium.

What was said? 

Speaking after the game following the incident, Grimsby Town boss Artell has slammed the decision to award Sutton a penalty, which he believes has cost his team two points in what could potentially be a big moment in the club’s relegation battle.

On the penalty decision, Artell said: “He (the assistant referee) said he’s seen a handball that nobody has seen. If he sees a handball from 50 yards away that nobody else has seen, he’s in the wrong job. 

“We’ve watched it back on the iPad on the bench. It’s a crazy, crazy decision that’s cost us two points. I’ve told him (the referee) I want to see him, but it’s not going to change the fact that the linesman has made an absolute horrific mistake.

“Now, I don’t know if he’s (the linesman) got some sort of genetics of an owl or something like that, but it’s just baffling, ridiculous. It could be a pivotal moment. I don’t think it will be, but it could be.” 

Following on from those comments in regards to the penalty, the former Crewe Alexandra boss then went on to label the whole referee system in the EFL a disgrace with how officials conduct themselves in the days leading up to a game.

An angry Artell added: “We can stand here and blame the linesman as much as we want. These guys do it once a week, it’s not really their fault. The whole system is terrible. Disgustingly bad for professional football. 

“They rock up on a Saturday morning, having not practised all week and we expect them to be good. I’m trying to be as balanced and as rational and as reasonable, even though I’m absolutely fuming.

“I thought they were poor all afternoon. You have to put up with that because they are amateurs in a professional sport. Whilst ever we accept primary school teachers, milkmen, and architects rocking up on a Saturday afternoon to take charge of important football matches,  we’re going to get horrific decisions, and that’s what we got this afternoon.”

The Mariners run in

Following the late penalty at Sutton, which has denied the club three crucial points, Grimsby Town currently sit 21st in the League Two table, five points clear of Forest Green Rovers in the relegation zone in 23rd, having played a game less than Steve Cotteril’s side.

Having picked up six points out of a possible last 12 available and going unbeaten in four matches, Artell’s side now face a tough run of fixtures, with their next four games being against the likes of MK Dons, Gillingham, Wrexham and Barrow.

Since changing the system which has seen the Mariners only concede two goals in their last four games and keeping two clean sheets, Grimsby boss Artell will feel his team will be a match for anyone at the moment as the club faces a huge few weeks.

Could the penalty decision affect Grimsby Town’s quest for survival?

The simple answer is that it could do, although Grimsby and David Artell will hopefully feel that won’t be the case. The Mariners will fancy their chances of keeping their Football League status more compared to Colchester United, Forest Green Rovers and Sutton United, with all three sitting below the North East Lincolnshire outfit in the table.

Grimsby will feel, certainly in Artell’s case, that it’s a frustrating decision late on in a big game, but they now need to make sure that decision won’t affect things too much heading into the final 11 games of the season.

The main thing for Mariners fans is that they will feel survival is in their own hands. They’ve played a game less than Forest Green, and two less than Sutton, so they will feel they won’t need to get many more points to secure their status in the EFL for another season following what has been a disastrous campaign.