David Artell felt his Grimsby team were dominant in their 1-0 victory over Gillingham at Blundell Park.
Charles Vernam’s second-half penalty, his 10th goal contribution of the league season, was all that separated the sides in the end, despite Gillingham having two players sent off.
Remeao Hutton was given a straight red by referee Zac Kennard-Kettle in the 33rd minute and then Jonny Williams was off for two yellow cards half an hour later in the game.
That said, Artell felt his team were in control before the dismissals came into play, and would have won with a more appealing finish and scoreline if they were more clinical in front of goal.
“I thought we dominated the game from the start and up until the last five minutes,” said the Mariners boss.
“If we were a bit more clinical with our finishing, then we wouldn’t have had the last five minutes where we made it the game Gillingham wanted.
“For the previous 92, we kept the ball off them, even when it was 11v11, so it was as dominant a 1-0 victory as can be.
“I thought the first one (red card) was harsh, but the second was definitely two yellows.
“The precedent was set by the referee for what a booking was, so it was actually impressive of us to keep 11 men on the pitch.
“It would’ve been easy to mistime a tackle or give the opportunity to send one of ours off, but we were thoroughly professional on that side, which pleased me alongside an outstanding performance.”
With manager Gareth Ainsworth still recovering from heart surgery, assistant boss Richard Dobson was leading Gillingham again, and he was proud of his team in defeat in spite of what they felt was unjust refereeing.
He explained: “The boys feel they were unjust (the red cards), and there are obviously a lot of decisions we didn’t agree with.
“In terms of the person that we end up talking about (the referee), it is the wrong person to be talking about at the end of the game.
“What we should be talking about is the amazing effort that our boys put into the game, with the physical and mental qualities shining through.
“To have Grimsby hanging on for a 1-0 win when we’re down to nine men is a testament to the effort and the energy that our boys showed.
“The fighting spirit was there to be seen, and I’m absolutely delighted with them for that.
“Those qualities are going to be what sees us through for the rest of the season, and we’ll do well because of that strength of mind that we showed.”
