Upturn in fortunes | PASOTI
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Upturn in fortunes

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PAFCCraigo1

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I wrote this as part of my ongoing greens blog, thought I'd drop it here if anyone wants a read (had sent it to the Herald so apologies for the article type slant to it).

And so a huge win for Argyle this weekend, Joel Grant’s strike sealing a first win in twelve games for the Pilgrims, and marking arguably the best week of the 2017/2018 campaign to date.

There is still much work to do, and the murmurs of discontent towards Derek Adams are a long way from silencing, but things are undoubtedly looking more positive than immediately preceding the visit of Shrewsbury Town. The Shrews came to Home Park still unbeaten and top of League One, and you couldn’t blame the Green Army for a sense of foreboding in the lead up to the game, particularly given the relatively uninspiring and limp performances against Bristol Rovers and Fleetwood in the previous two home league matches. What followed wasn’t exactly pretty, but an altogether more spirited display, with new signing Toumani Diagouraga providing some desperately needed combative quality in midfield. The occasion was illuminated by a wondergoal from Graham Carey, the like we have become accustomed to over the past two years. At that stage it looked as though we may be about to snatch that much desired win, but Adams’ decision to bring on Bradley for an admittedly tiring Alex Fletcher, who had worked tirelessly as the lone striker, seemed to hand the initiative back to the away side, who duly equalised and ultimately looked the more likely to win it. In context, a point after such an awful run of form against the leaders must be seen as a good result. That said, the way the game unfolded left many ruing what might have been and whilst hindsight is a wonderful thing, it did feel like we had forfeited our best chance of winning a league game for a long time. Ultimately, it will only be at the season’s end that we know whether this represented a point gained or two lost.

The same debate cannot be had regarding the draw at Ewood Park on Tuesday. A brave and dogged display felt almost like a win at the final whistle, such were the unlikely circumstances of Argyle getting anything from the game at various times on the night, none more so than when the ball seemed destined for the Greens’ net in the dying stages, only for Aaron Taylor-Sinclair’s heroic last-ditch block. Taylor-Sinclair has been a largely peripheral figure since joining in the summer, and the absence of a recognised right-back during Gary Miller’s suspension has given him his first run in the side, with Gary Sawyer ably filling that role, allowing Taylor-Sinclair to take his preferred left sided berth. On his few appearances thus far he had looked short on belief and he has perhaps not been given a fair crack by some of the Green Army, aware of less than rave reviews from supporters of his former club Doncaster Rovers. Such a performance and striking contribution can only act as a platform on which he can further grow into his role at his new club.

Another man for whom Tuesday night will no doubt represent an even greater milestone is young Michael Cooper. The 18 year-old keeper was called on at half-time with Kyle Letheren who has performed so ably in Luke McCormick’s absence, laid low with a thigh injury. More testing conditions for Cooper to make his senior bow it would be hard to imagine, but he managed admirably, making several important stops and visibly growing in confidence as the second half progressed, aided by supportive team-mates and an encouraging rearguard defensive performance.

As strong a defensive showing as this was, it would likely have amounted to nothing without the second piece of magic provided by Carey within 3 days. We have become almost used to his regular brilliance over the past two successful campaigns, that we may have been guilty of taking it for granted. His and the club’s relative struggles to date this season have put that right, and with the playmaker at his talismanic best, Argyle will always feel they have a chance in any tight contest, which can only breed belief within the ranks.

Confidence is after all, that most treasured commodity in football. It cannot be bought or taught, but is earnt and ebbs and flows within each individual, based on their performances. In the most successful sides, it grows, enveloping the whole club and teams can feel like they cannot lose, both before and during games, particularly in those key moments. At times for Argyle this season it has almost felt the polar opposite, and the potential benefit such a result as the draw at Blackburn could have is huge. On such games, and moments like that desperate last minute block, can seasons turn.

Writing this sounds like one of football’s great many clichés, and ultimately, the visit to AFC Wimbledon the following Saturday would provide more insight than any level of talk and speculation. The signs were good, and soon followed another key contribution from Carey, a mazy run and deft pass sliding in Grant to finish emphatically. Another excellent defensive display preceding and following this, with Yann Songo’o again colossal, was enough to send us on our way with three absolutely vital points.
Remi Matthews deserves real praise for his calmness on debut, with echoes of Rab Douglas about his display shortly after coming in on an emergency loan. Diagouraga’s introduction has no doubt added some pedigree and additional resolve in midfield, with David Fox returning to the fold and forming an experienced and composed central midfield pairing. This, combined with the presence of the excellent Songo’o, thriving in the backs-to-the-wall cauldron of recent fixtures, has provided a more solid platform from which the front three can attack, particularly Carey. Our most creative player by some distance, we cannot continue to rely on him to provide moments of magic, but the two goals and one assist have gained us five points across the last three fixtures, and have given Derek Adams’ side a foothold in the campaign.
An ongoing concern is where the rest of the goals are going to come from, with Adams’ tendency to opt for caution with his personnel and system a source of great frustration amongst many of the Green Army, myself included. Whilst this has doubtless partly been a result of our particular bad fortune with injuries to date, this cannot represent a sufficient excuse, with modern football very much a squad game, and ill health a scenario that must be planned for. Despite our frustrations and concerns, much of our success across the past two seasons was built on the kind of approach which has yielded three positive results this week, and for the recent mini-revival our manager deserves great credit.

Another significant game awaits this weekend against a Rochdale side who could end Saturday anywhere between three and nine points ahead of us. Such fixtures are vital in keeping as many teams near to us and stuck in the battle that we find ourselves in. We are by no means out of the trenches yet, but we are also certainly not doomed, as many had feared just over a week ago, and the effect of the past three results on the demeanour of the players, fans and club as a whole cannot be overstated. It is now up to Adams and his men to build on that; if they can, we may yet find a way out of this. Keep the faith.