Grimsby Town have been fined by the EFL for fielding an ineligible player in their stunning Carabao Cup win over Manchester United, and boss David Artell has spoken out on the situation
David Artell, Manager of Grimsby Town, interacts with his player Cameron McJannet during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Grimsby Town and Manchester United
Grimsby boss David Artell has responded after Manchester United learnt their fate over a potential League Cup replay
(Image: Shaun Botterill, Getty Images)
Grimsby Town boss David Artell insists nobody can diminish his players' display following their shock Carabao Cup triumph over Manchester United. The Mariners have been embroiled in controversy this past week after the EFL slapped Town with a penalty for fielding an ineligible player in their second round win.
United are not believed to be mounting an appeal against the League Two outfit's sanction. The penalty saw Grimsby hit with a £20,000 fine for their administrative blunder.
It's understood the Mariners reported the breach themselves and the EFL announced their verdict. That's despite previous FA Cup precedent seeing clubs ejected from the tournament.
Artell addressed BBC Radio Humberside (via the Manchester Evening News) on Thursday ahead of his side's forthcoming encounter with MK Dons. And he maintained nothing can alter a magnificent evening in Grimsby's history.
"The club has made a statement, and I refer them to the statement," said Artell. "From my point of view as head coach, no one can take away that performance. Nobody can.
"We were the better team for 70 minutes or for 75 minutes. We should have been 3-0 regardless of everything else that has gone off since, and I am extremely proud of the performance of the players, all of the players. I thought we deserved to win the game.
"What happens surrounding that isn't in my domain [to say] but, like I say, nobody can take away the performance of the players and the manner of the victory, certainly not in my eyes anyway. What happened was unfortunate, we owned up, made a statement, let everyone know and we move on."
Manager Ruben Amorim of Manchester United walks out ahead of the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Grimsby Town v Manchester United at Blundell Park
Ruben Amorim was devastated to see his side slide out of their first cup competition this term
Grimsby were found to be in breach of the laws after Clarke Oduor came on against the Red Devils. Oduor joined the Mariners on loan from Bradford City one day prior to the cup fixture.
However, it later came to light their loanee's deal had gone through 119 seconds after the deadline. And as such, he was not eligible to feature for the club.
Of their fine, £10,000 must be paid before a predetermined deadline, while the other £10,000 is suspended until the end of the season. Liverpool, Accrington Stanley and Sunderland are the other three clubs who have in the past been fined for similar League Cup infractions.
Grimsby Town head coach David Artell on the touchline vs Man Utd.
Grimsby Town boss Dave Artell has delivered a new verdict on his side's recent EFL charge
Grimsby's reward for advancing past United is a third-round fixture against Championship side Sheffield Wednesday. This will mark the first time since 2019 that the former has featured in the third round of the tournament.
Despite the triumph over United, Grimsby have failed to maintain their momentum and lost their last two fixture. Artell's side are looking to bounce back from their most recent disappointment, a 1-0 defeat to Bristol Rovers, as they prepare to take on MK Dons on Saturday.
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