Grimsby Town boss David Artell says he and his side must be more adaptable than before thanks to Mike Williamson’s arrival at Carlisle United.
The mid-table Mariners are United’s first Brunton Park opponents since the appointment of head coach Williamson.
And while Artell insists it is the players who will make the biggest difference rather than who’s in charge on Saturday, the change at the Carlisle helm remains a factor.
“You have to consider the manager and his philosophy and ideas. But you’ve also got to consider what players he’s got,” said Artell.
“We’ve had one game, when they played Swindon last week, to see what they [Carlisle] could do and did do.
“He’s had a week on the training pitch with them, so that will have helped.
“You’ve got to combine the two. We’ve probably got to be more tactically fluid this week than probably any other week, because of what’s happened.
“But at the same time it’s 11 players against 11 players. Mike Williamson’s not going to win the game from where he’s stood and neither am I.
“Whatever challenges we have to face, we have to deal with them and have the answers, and likewise we have to ask them loads of questions.
“If we do that, and defend like we did and play like we know we can then we’re going to be a real challenge for them.”
Grimsby have won three – all at home – and lost four in League Two so far.
They are still seeking their first away points of the season at Brunton Park but Artell feels it is only a matter of time before they start picking things up on the road.
“If we get our away form right we’re going to be right up there. That’s a big if at the minute because of our previous couple of games,” said Artell in a pre-match press conference.
“But we know at Chesterfield, in our last away game, we deserved to win. So we have to maintain that form away from home, and if we do, and play that well, we’re going to win games of football away from home, and it’s a when not an if.
“We know we’re not as consistent as we want to be yet. We have to make sure that comes and that’s one of the next steps. We’re not far off but results away from home suggest that.”
Grimsby are without injured winger Charles Vernam and suspended midfielder Kieran Green this weekend.
“When one door closes it opens for someone else,” Artell added.
The Mariners, who finished 21st in League Two last season, defeated Bromley 1-0 on home soil last time out and their manager felt their resolve in that game is the foundation for further progress.
“We knew we had to show improvement from defensive set-pieces from the week before, and we couldn’t have asked for a sterner test [in that respect] from Bromley, but the lads were brilliant at it,” said Artell.
“If we do that every game going forward we’ve got a great chance of keeping clean sheets and winning games of football.
“We can improve with the ball. We know we have to get that balance right between defending like warriors but also being able to pass the ball like we did against Bradford, Chesterfield and at times against Barrow.”
Carlisle are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Grimsby, winning the last two encounters in the 2023/24 season after three draws.
The Mariners' last win over the Cumbrians came in April 2019 with a 1-0 victory at Blundell Park, also winning 1-0 at Brunton Park that season in October 2018.
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