Stuck In Second Half

RUB of the green. It is a phrase that means so much in football, and seemingly more to Argyle now than ever.

The team in Green that visited Bradford City on Tuesday night were second best throughout the first half, and went into the break a goal down.

The side that emerged for the second period were the same eleven men, but a different team.

However, despite providing a mirror image to the first 45 minutes, and dominating the play from whistle to whistle, Argyle could not provide the killer finish to earn at least the point that 50% of their performance definitely warranted.

“We knew that first half they were going to come at us, and we were a little bit standoffish,” said manager Carl Fletcher, “But we stuck to our task, and they got one of those goals where it was bobbling around a little bit, it fell to their fella and he stuck it in the corner.

“I thought we probably had the two best chances of the game, and in the second half we were a lot better.

“We were on the front foot a lot more, and we’re really disappointed not to get anything out of the game.

“The lads dug in. We knew it was a tough task.

“They’ve got Hanson and Wells up front, arguably the best front two in the division. One’s six foot four and the other’s like a whippet.

“They’ve got some really good experienced players that have played at a higher level.

“It just seems rub of the green isn’t going our way, and it’s a shame because through the lads’ efforts, and the fact that we’ve been playing teams in the top four or are odds on for promotion or the play offs, we’ve stood up and been counted.”