Banton Gives A Buzz

STARTING professional football matches seems to be sitting well with Jason Banton.

Last week’s fixture, the 0-0 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge, was Jason’s first ever league start, and while the Crystal Palace loanee did not have a winning effort on his debut, he was among the more eye-catching members of the evolving Argyle XI.

At Aldershot, seven days later, came his first win in an Argyle shirt – and a pair of goals to boot.

Grabbing both goals in a 2-1 victory – the first a deflected effort from the edge of the box; the second a cool clip into the far corner after great work from Reuben Reid – not only does Jason have the satisfaction of playing a decisive part in a vital victory, but he has pleased his new manager no end.

“He’s a threat,” said boss John Sheridan. “When he gets the ball, he excites me. I don’t think he gets enough of the ball. I think we’ve got to know what his strengths are. He can be a match-winner.

“He gives me a little buzz when gets the ball. Two great goals: a bit of a deflection for the first one, but it was on target, and it was a great finish for the second one. And a great ball from Reuben.

“It gave us something to fight for, and we held on in the end.”

A brand new addition to the Argyle line-up in Hampshire was Lee Cox, on loan from Swindon Town. Lee completed the 90 minutes alongside a host of team-mates he had never set eyes on before stepping aboard the Argyle team bus on Friday afternoon.

“Coxy did well for his first game,” said John.

“He got on the bus yesterday with the lads. You can see he’s a bit short of match practice, and he only knows one or two of the boys, but he’s part of our win today.”