Pushing For Promotion

So after a great 0-1 win on the 6th September on Sky Sports against Luton at Kenilworth Road, September took a change for the worse. Going on to lose three of the next four games with only a 2-0 home win against Hartlepool the only points picked up in a dismal few weeks after Luton.

Since then Sheridan and Argyle have gone under the radar quietly creeping up the table picking up five wins out of seven and also progressing through the 1st round of the FA Cup against a tricky Conference North side AFC Fylde.

We now have the best defence in the Football League only conceding 12 goals in the first 17 league fixtures.

That encompassed with Reuben Reid carrying his goal scoring exploits to 9 league goals the confidence is starting to flow out of a free playing progressive Argyle side.

The 3-5-2 formation is putting every opponent to the sword especially at home and that with not only a defence but a whole team who now seem to have had it drummed into them that defending as a team and keeping clean sheets is the mainstay every championship winning team needs to gain promotion I ask myself, Is this the year of true revival after seven years of terrible clueless football with players who don't seem to care ?

I believe that Sheridan now with HIS team is starting to get the best out of a decent group with the help from the correct people is finally paying dividends, Paul Wotton having played 491 games for Argyle as Captain must be doing a lot with the defensive unit that screams organisation of the Coughlan / Wotton partnership of 01/02 season.

Before the season started many questioned the appointment of a young captain selected by Sheridan in Curtis Nelson, At 21 years old Curtis has already picked up 164 appearances since the 2010/11 season he is the only player we've managed to keep who didn't seem to be carrying the scars of succesive relagations on to the turf. The rest are long gone and hopefully we can continue to carry on picking up points whilst tring to get past Sheffield United on the 6th December and be in the 3rd round draw with hope of a money-spinning tie in January.

The last seven league games have seen us score ten and only concede a single goal in a remarkable improvement in our fortunes.

We have six league games before the new year and things are looking good!

Semper Fidelis

ARGYLE v Exeter City F.C 16-8-14

So a new season has crept up on us quite nicely, thanks largely to an entertaining World Cup in Brazil.

Considering England went home on the first flight back to London, which even for me was earlier than I expected.

I enjoyed the World Cup and was pretty happy to see the likes of Chile, Costa Rica and Colombia all putting in a good showing against the might of Brazil, Uruguay and Holland.

I think in the end German efficiency again showed what football is all about, CONSISTANCY.

Anyway enough of all this about World Cups its two games into the REAL season.

Having missed the first game of the season away to Cambridge and the midweek loss on penalties in the league cup to Leyton Orient it was time for this seasons one and only home Devon derby.

Our first home game of the season since Torquay and Bristol Rovers have both fallen out of the football League.

So after a week of local and national press pushing a #wallofcolour at all football league clubs, I turned up with my brother Rob, brother in law James and Nephew Harvey, sporting his first Argyle shirt.

The idea of the #wallofcolour is a pretty new concept and seems to be well received amongst most clubs a couple of times a season.

Personally I prefer a wall of flags rather than coloured pieces of bin bags but must admist it looks pretty effective.

Anyway so after losing our first game away to Cambridge who have returned after a nine year exile from the football league 1-0 on the opening day of the season, our second game of the season against our old foes hopefully has shown what can be achieved this season with a bit of hard work and consistency in which I believe is John Sheridan's pivotal season to prove to the Green Army he has what it takes to get us up and out of the lowest rung of the football league ladder.

So with 11'418 all set for the off, Roger East a Premier League ref got the game underway,

With only 5 players in the starting 11 remaining from the last game of the season in a 3-3 draw away to Portsmouth, its always exciting to see how all these new players are going to start their new career's as Pilgrims.

So as the sun shone down on HP the nerves and excitement crept into my mind as always with the anticipation of another good season about to embark, Will we finally start the turnaround of fortunes after a dismal 5 years.

So off we went popping the ball around like Barcelona, It didn't take long for us to really start taking the game to the Grecians and getting carried away thinking this is going to be the season we really push on, Argyle really set up well playing a 4-2-3-1 against an Exeter City who dominated us only in March playing a 3-5-2.

The formations were really helping us get on the front foot and it didn't take long to make the early pressure give us an early chance.

A corner after a few minutes of early pressure fell right onto the head of new Argyle captain Curtis Nelson crashing his effort off the bar and then scrambled away by the defence.

At the time I was worried we may come to rue the chance but it was only a sign of how the afternoon would pan out acting as a springboard for us to mount attack after attack without much response.

It wasn't long before Banton was terrorizing the fullbacks before getting cynically chopped down time and time again until finally one was in range,

So on only his 7th start up steps Tyler Harvey , A product of Argyle youth set up and free-scoring midfield/striker, places the ball down and hits an unstoppable free kick over the wall and beyond the keeper into the top left hand corner.

One Nil,

This only seemed to spur us on further with Banton and Harvey really causing all sorts of problems,
And it wasn't long before Harvey once again played the decisive pass between two defenders for Reid to slot a second low and hard past a rushing keeper.

Two Nil,

After going two up we seemed happy to pop the ball around forcing Tisdale to change his system and players at half time.

The second half started a much more even contest.

Exeter changed their shape and did cause us some more problems in the second half but rarely threatened McCormick's goal and to me showing they look like being destined to a hard season, It showed when Argyle made changes bringing on fresh hungry faces on,  Marvin Morgan for the impressive and prolific Reuben Reid at 70 minutes who had showed his raw strength and power and eye for goal all night , River Allen on at 76 minutes for the versatile and busy Tyler Harvey who continues to impress with each outing.

Alessandra who was brought down 60 yards out allowed Argyle to clip a dangerous free kick into the box from deep causing big problems for a ragged City defence and rookie keeper Christy Pym making only his 9th appearance after the release of Artur Krysiak in the summer,

Pym who seemed to struggle all afternoon dropped the free kick in a packed box to leave the new Argyle captain Curtis Nelson to hook the ball in from 6 yards.

Three Nil,

After the restart Banton was replaced by Nathan Thomas and the game was over giving us a platform to really kick on.

I think if this season is to be a success we HAVE TO at a minimum make the playoffs though I feel for most, anything less then promotion be it playoffs or automatic will be a failure and will ultimately cost JS his job if we don't go up.

The Green Army have been through enough and they're starting to lose patience!

This season I will also rate all the Argyle players of every game I attend and will use this to tally up my player of the year come May.

McCormick, 7
Mellor,          7
Nelson,          8
Hartley,         7
McHugh,       7
Alessandra,   7
O'Connor,      8
Norburn ,       9
Banton,          8                      (Thomas 85),   6
Harvey,         8                       (Allen 76),       6
Reid,             8                       (Morgan71).     7

 

Non-playing subs: James Bittner, Ben Purrington, Dominic Blizzard, Deane Smalley.

Semper Fidelis.