news-engine

Artell keeps the faith in Grimsby Town goalkeeper Pym 'I thought he was let down by people ahead of him, significantly let down, so I’m disappointed for him' David Artell was staunch in his defence of Christy Pym’s performance against Blackpool, stepping in for the injured loan signing Harvey Cartwright. The Hull City loan ‘keeper and Grimsby-born Cartwright, unfortunately, has a history with injuries, and a muscle strain picked up in the last week could see him out for weeks. That leaves the Mariners with the transfer-listed Pym, deemed surplus to requirements this summer after losing his spot as number one in his first year at the club, and the young Seb Auton, who has just one senior league appearance for Town to his name. Artell has praised Pym's professionalism throughout pre-season, for staying committed to training and the pre-season fixtures despite being told he could leave as Town looked for their next number one. Cartwright was Artell’s pick, having worked with him before during his first season in charge at Town, but his latest injury leaves Pym as the man to pick up the slack and with a chance at redemption after not impressing many during his first stint as number one. He conceded three on Saturday as Town exited the Carabao Cup with defeat to Blackpool, but it is fair to say he was not the prime suspect for any of the three goals conceded, and Artell was, in fact, encouraged by the performance of his goalkeeper. The question remains whether another body will be brought in as a stopgap, between the sticks, which is obviously dependent on the length of Cartwright’s absence, but Pym’s performance at the weekend did not raise any alarm bells for the Town chief. “I think we’ve got other priorities,” said Artell on signing another goalkeeper. “I thought Christy was good [against Blackpool]. “He wasn’t at fault for any of the goals; his distribution was good, and I thought he was let down by people ahead of him, significantly let down, so I’m disappointed for him. “I understand the narrative around him at the moment; everyone is waiting to pile in on him when he makes a mistake, but I don’t think he made any in this game. “I don’t go on fans forums or social media, but I’m sure there are already a few on there blaming him for conceding three goals, but they were not his fault, and I thought his overall performance was good. “We need to keep supporting and helping him get better because we’ve got other priorities [in the market]. That doesn’t mean to say that later on in the month, if Harvey is still injured or Christy’s form dips and we think we can get better, we wouldn’t sign another goalkeeper.” There is a lot of pressure on the signing of Cartwright to work out, as the goalkeeper position is the one area where most have felt the club have been misguided in their recruitment choices over the last few years. Jackson Smith was certainly a good choice; however, Town fell short of the money and location benefits that Port Vale could offer in the race to sign the 24-year-old permanently from Barnsley following his successful loan spell. Artell is choosing to trust the experienced Pym right now while Cartwright recovers, but it remains an area of concern for many supporters ahead of the league campaign starting. Did you know you can make Grimsby Live a preferred source of news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here's more information about what this means and how to do it - you can also do it straight away by clicking here.