Choices

SUDDENLY, and despite an injury-list which includes Paul Wotton, Jamie Lowry and Ross Jenkins, Carl Fletcher is spoilt for choice.

Ask a dozen Argyle fans what 11 Pilgrims Fletch will send into battle for the npower League 2 clash at Barnet on Saturday, and you might find that none is able to agree.

That is a legacy of Tuesday’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy game against Aldershot, when a starting XI without Jake Cole, Darren Purse, Max Blanchard, Robbie Williams, Onismor Bhasera, Guy Madjo, Alex MacDonald and Rhys Griffiths paved the way to a 2-1 victory.

With at least Cole, Purse, Madjo, MacDonald and Griffiths available for selection at Underhill, Fletch has some tough calls to make. Or does he? 

“There are 11 places up for grabs on Saturday,” he said. “No-one is guaranteed a place in this team and I’m always a firm believer that, if people play well, then they get in the team.

“It’s the same if you’re training well consistently

“If you’re not playing well, then your place is going to be under threat.”

“Everyone is in my thinking for Saturday. There’s no set team. We’ll try and pick the best team for the situation that we have got on Saturday to try and win the game.”

Fletch was delighted with the JPT win, in which on-loan Scott Griffiths made his debut after a 285-mile match-day drive from parent club Peterborough.

“I was pleased with the performance,” he said. “It’s all you can ask from players - you ask them to try and do well.

“We put a very young side out, with Scott coming in. It was pleasing that they all came in and played well together.

“A lot of credit goes to [Scott]. He came down, played, and got on with it.

“At the end of the day, the game’s the same and he went out, enjoyed himself, and played his game, which suited our way.”

Fellow loan signings Madjo and MacDonald missed the match but have since had their temporary signings renewed.

“It strengthens the squad and gives us more options,” said Fletch.

“They’ve settled in well, got stuck in, and done their best for the club, and we’ve been lucky enough to extend their loans.”