Healthy Positivity

FOR a team that has lost its last two games without scoring, there has been plenty of healthy positivity about Plymouth Argyle in the build-up to Saturday’s home match with Accrington Stanley.

At least part of that optimism comes from a decent performance in last Saturday’s 1-0 Sky Bet League 2 defeat at Scunthorpe which left Argyle in 17th place in the division but went a long way to dispelling the horrors of the previous 3-0 home turnover by Wycombe.

“We’ve lost the last couple of games but I take a lot of positives out of the Scunthorpe game,” said manager John Sheridan.

“I’ve watched the video. I thought we played really well; we should have won the game, the chances we created and the way we played.

“If we can play to that level, we will win more games than we lose.

“We’ve had a meeting and we’re all very positive because I do believe we will get back to winning ways and start climbing the table, beginning with the Accrington game.

“I can’t do a lot about the games that have gone. I have just got to look forward and get us all working very hard together and make sure we go out and give a good performance. If we give a good performance, I think we will win the game.”

Despite the pick-up at Glanford Park, and his confidence in his players, John intends to tweak his starting line-up to face the bottom-of-the-table Reds.

“There will be one or two changes this week,” he said.

“I have got players knocking on my door who think they should be in the team, which I don’t mind at all.

“I advise them to come and knock on my door. I would, if I wasn’t playing. I would want to be in the team, the way results are going at the moment.

“There are people really itching and trying to get a game. It’s up to me whether I change things and move everyone around, and give players opportunities.

“That’s something I will decide and, whatever decision I make, hopefully, we will go on and win the game.

“We prepare, we give them all we can on the opposition. It’s been an up and down season in terms of results and performances and I worry sometimes what performance we are going to give;  that is something we are trying to work on.

“If I’ve got eight, nine, ten players giving me a seven out of ten every week, that’s all we need. We will pick points up.”

Despite winless Accrington’s lowly position, John is expecting a thorough examination on Saturday, but – in keeping with the positivity – it is a test he believes the Pilgrims will pass.

“[Accrington] will know we have lost our last two games and that our last home performance wasn’t very good,” he said.

“They will be coming here thinking they can get something out of the game, so I have got to make sure I am concentrating on what we are going to do.

“If I can get a performance like last week, we will win the game, but they will make it difficult.”