Shocked Shez

JOHN Sheridan held nothing back after the Pilgrims’ 2-0 Easter Monday defeat at York left them in the League 2 relegation mix.

With three successive wins under their belt against teams in or around the play-off positions, Argyle journeyed to York – who had previously been winless in 16 games – with hopes of pulling themselves further away from the drop zone of the bottom two places.

However, first-half goals from Ashley Chambers and Richard Cresswell saw them sink to just one place and one point away from the cut-off line, leaving John to lament: “It was not good enough at all; obviously a very poor performance.

“We didn’t deserve anything from the game: we didn’t create anything; the ball-retention was shocking; we didn’t pick up second balls all game; we didn’t pass the ball.

“We looked like a team that had already been relegated. I can’t explain why.”

John declined to offer Saturday’s punishing Devon Expressway Derby against Exeter at Home Park – which followed wins against Southend and Fleetwood – as a reason for a lacklustre showing at Bootham Crescent.

“I thought we looked tired but I am not making that an excuse,” he said. “It’s a game we should have worked a lot harder to try to get something from.

“I don’t think we were up for it and there was no reason we shouldn’t have been after the buzz of the derby game and winning three games on the spin.

“We weren’t at the races at all. I went with near enough the team that had a brilliant result at Southend. I can’t have a team where we look really good against Southend and I pick the same team and we look really poor at York.

“I can’t be too hard on them because it will be the wrong thing to do, but I tell the truth when I have to tell the truth and the performance was nowhere near good enough.

“I’m not being disrespectful to players at this level but you have to listen and learn and concentrate all the time – don’t get carried away. I’ll make sure they don’t do that. That’s the way I am.

“They have got to understand that, because today’s performance was nowhere near. We were second all over the pitch; we couldn’t even get two passes put together.

“I’m disappointed for the following we had, as well. It was a brilliant following and a performance like that was totally unacceptable.

“I won’t stand for it.”