Artell says the players have to keep believing in themselves following heavy defeat to Hartlepool

David Artell has told the club’s official web-site that the dressing room was down after Hartlepool inflicted a 4-0 defeat on his Crewe side. Crewe had shaded the first period and should have gone in at the interval ahead themselves with the hard working Jordan Bowery hitting the outside of the post and James Jones and George Cooper going close.

Crewe conceded the opening goal on the stroke of half-time following three mistakes and that injected some renewed confidence into Dave Jones’ side for the second period.

Artell told crewalex.net: “The players are hurting. They are genuinely hurting because they know they are much better than that.

“We went 1-0 down and in the second half we started doing things that we shouldn’t be doing and going places where we shouldn’t be going. All those little things compounded to give the opposition more of the initiative.

“At 1-0 down, we have to believe we are in the game. Stay in the game and keep your composure. For half an hour in the first half, we were on top and looking the more dangerous. We looked a decent side and one goal has changed that. That cannot happen. That cannot continue.

He added: “If we think we cannot get something out of games if we go 1-0 down then we are not going to win many are we? We have struggled to come back in games, I think coming back at Blackpool was the first time we have done that in a year. That isn’t luck. That’s a pattern, a habit and it has to change.”