One Game at a Time
Spendthrift Town (A) January 14th
And the big games keep rolling in. As apparently do the new recruits.
Argyle trekked North to the Unibol and fielded no less than four new signings in the playing squad, although only one, Callum Wright made the starting XI, replacing the disconsolate Morgan Whittaker. He was easing himself back into training with his Swansea teammates in anticipation of his recall to the playing squad next week once FA Cup duties were completed. Or not.
With the fourth of these signings, Jay Matete, joining on loan from Sunderland and meeting his new teammates at the hotel the night before the match, one can imagine the team hotel resembling one of those soulless sales rep meetings. The ones where a load of blokes mingle around the bar, each wearing a name tag stuck to their lapel, clutching a bottle of lager before settling down to a dinner of hotel lamb, the smallest known species of lamb to have made it into the food chain.
Whatever the make-up of the team, the result at Wanderers can best be described as a grind, with defensive attributes to the fore. Wilson Scarr and Longwijk, aided and abetted by the introduction of a fit again Macauley Gillesphey epitomised the They Shall Not Pass attitude of days of yore where the ball gradually gets heavier and heavier from the water and mud absorbed. In the end two fine stops from Mike Cooper, and a frustratingly brilliant goal line clearance from ex Argyle centre back Will Aimson, that prevented a debut goal from Ben Waine, meant that honours finished even, and a good point secured from a difficult venue.
It also continued the run whereby none of the top eight other sides have managed to beat Argyle in the League yet. A run that Argyle will be very keen to continue over the next few weeks, starting with Ipswich on Saturday.
The FA Cup third round meant that only four games took place in League One and only the Argyle game involved anyone with serious aspirations of gaining promotion. This despite the blatherings of our Papa Johns Cup opponents of Tuesday manager, Joey Barton. The single point extends the lead over the Wendies to 5 points and 7 over the free spending Town.
If the ongoing saga over the loss of Morgan Whittaker and his ultimate and still undecided destination preoccupied the build-up to the Bolton game, then the continuing saga of the transfer window also overshadowed the FA Cup results that have potentially significant consequences for the various teams in pursuit of Argyle.
One of the performances of the round was that of the Wendies who disposed of the Saudi Arabian Barcode XI reserves courtesy of an offside goal and then a fine finish by the strangely immobile when celebrating Josh Windass. They were indebted to an excellent performance by their keeper, Dawson, and a wild finish by Chris Wood that indicates we may have signed the best Kiwi Striker in the league without realising it.
The Wendies fanbase, whilst celebrating the win, were concerned by the fact the game was preceded by the recall by an embargo stricken Cardiff City, of their outstanding central defender Mark McGuinness. Having already been duped, apparently by the player himself, that they were about the sign Aiden Flint on loan from Stoke, the Wendies were anticipating a McGuinness Flint partnership.
C’est la Vie.
Said recall, however, is currently in doubt, as the embargo imposed by FIFA over the non-payment of the fee for Emiliano Sala by the Bluebirds apparently prevents them from reregistering even their own players until they pay some five million euros to Nantes. It means that potentially McGuinness could stay a Wednesday player, but also leaves then club in limbo in that should the Cardiff appeal be successful, or if (more unlikely) and they cough up the owed amount, McGuinness could still be recalled at the very end of the window.
In the meantime, the Wendies have a match at near rivals and (still) form team Barnsley, despite their four zip drubbing at similarly resurgent Derby to rearrange, and the potential of another postponement after being handed an eminently winnable home tie with Fleetwood in the next round.
No such window problems for our slightly more distant pursuers Ipswich Town. Having worked themselves into a salivating frenzy over the arrival of Morgan Whittaker, as a Machiavellian means of disrupting our season, they despatched a hapless Rotherham United with a makeshift team, with several key players resting on the bench, very comfortably. Their reward is another home fixture, but this time a little more challenging as they receive the current leaders of the Championship, Burnley.
The match was watched by two players that the Tractor Boys had been heavily linked with in the previous weeks. The first of these, George Hirst, was recalled from his loan at Blackburn, where he had spent a fruitless half season inspecting the quality of Championship benches, to be signed on loan from Leicester City. A striker, and son of erstwhile Wendy England striker David Hirst, George joined his eighth club of a transient career to bolster the attack of the Divisions leading scorers (only by one admittedly).
Also watching was alleged Argyle target Nathan Broadhead. Given the signings made it was debatable how interested Argyle were at the price tag finally agreed upon of some one and a half million (to start with). With potential bids in for Jack Taylor of Peterborough, and of course our very own recent ex MW of similar seven figure fees anyone would think Ipswich were unhappy with their current league position. One thing is for sure. No-one at Portman Road is going to get into the play-offs and say job well done.
So far the focus appears to be on the forward line with both recruits playing in advanced positions. This to go along with their existing squad gives them
Striker: Hirst, Ladapo, Ahadme (Broadhead, Jackson)
Inside left: Broadhead, Harness, Edwards
Inside right: Chaplin, Aluko, Jackson
Right-wing: Burns (Jackson, Edwards)
(As found on TWTD.com, amended for most recent cash throw)
Plus John Jules (on loan and injured) and Piggott (loaned out at Pompey).
Anyway, I am sure the dressing room will be just fine with the broad grin of Ladapo as he greets the two players that appear to be able to play his role arriving. Just the FA Cup winners medal then this season, Freddie.
And so to Portman Road for the biggest game of the season until our proper cup final at Hillsborough. Let us be honest, whist we have nothing to fear as League leaders, we have never had much success at Portman Road. Last season was a close one nil defeat where devil incarnate Morsy’s second shot on target (his first being a stamp on James Boltons foot that has kept him side-lined until recently) was enough to mean Argyle narrowly failed to take a maximum 21 points in March. Perhaps more telling was the loss of Hotdog to a hamstring injury that meant he played much reduced part in the run in that was to yield a paltry five more points, and tellingly no goals from Hardie in that run.
In fact since the Tractor Boys elevation to the Football league in 1938, with our first coming together in the 1950/51 season, Argyle have managed only two victories in visits to Portman Road. In 1986/7 where a superb solo goal by Kevin Summerfield was the highlight, and the poignant visit of Paul Mariner in his ill-fated coaching spell at Home Park, where Argyle sprang an unlikely two nil smash and grab courtesy of Bradley Wright-Phillips and sub Joe Mason, the last flickering heartbeat of a terminal Championship season in reality.
So two wins , eight draws and sixteen defeats means a victory is long overdue. Especially when you consider some of the other events that according to the football gods mean we are going to see the flip side any day soon. Ian Holloways Championship side rode into town, only for a zealous linesman to rule a nothing challenge by Matt Doumbe after forty seconds as the ball ran harmlessly through to the keeper, was in fact a last man foul and red card. The acrobatic tumble of John Walters resulted in a comprehensive three nil defeat.
Two years earlier and Argyle only had themselves to blame. Freshly back in the Championship, after half an hour Argyle had used two subs through injuries to Gilbert and Capaldi, were against ten men after Wilnis was sent off for two yellows, and two goals to the good through the Steve’s Adams and Crawford scoring twice in just over a minute. Had David Friio buried his free header in front of an open goal that Argyle fans had become accustomed to celebrating then the match would surely have been beyond Town. Instead a Jason de Vos seeming consolation was made into far far more by second half sub Shefqi Kuqi. His two goals in the last ten minutes took Town to third, the position they finished in before losing at home in the play-off semi-finals to eventually promoted sixth place West Ham United. A week later Friio redeemed himself scoring two trademark headers in injury time to steal a win against Gillingham.
With the Wendies now heading down to our new best friends for the rest of the season Why Come, Ipswich might not be third by close of business on Saturday. But I do wonder if the Tractor Boys are keeping a weather eye on sixth place just in case. They have never finished higher than ninth since arriving back at the third tier of the League and have yet to compete in the League One Play Off lottery.
At Championship level they have one success at Wembley (2000 v Barnsley) but seven semi-final failures, so you can understand the need for them to try and secure promotion through the automatics.
So, we head to Constable country, potentially either one match from Wembley, or unencumbered by Pizza distractions. Frankly you can make a case for either outcome being positive. Both sides will be looking to see what the impact of the new acquisitions. In Argyle's case, two Wrights we will….
Town will be hoping that Hirst might break his eight-month duck and resumes his Pompey form where his goals were mainly scored in harness with Harness. And that Broadhead delivers his Sunderland form and avoids his recent injury woes, and that Freddie doesn’t throw a strop when and if he gets sidelined. Good luck with that.
Morsy and Matete will possibly resume last season’s head-to-head. Not literally though. Well probably not literally.
And two sets of decent fans will watch through their fingers at a capacity Portman Road for a match where nothing can be decided but much can be influenced.It is going to be a long ninety minutes.
COYG!!!
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