Ahead of the Game - Talking Cobblers

...Argyle will now focus all their efforts on a push for promotion from Sky Bet League 2.

 

On Wednesday, the Pilgrims travel to Newton Abbott to take on Buckland Athletic in the quarter-final of the Edenvale Turf Ltd Devon St Luke’s Challenge Cup. Then, on Saturday, John Sheridan’s men will continue on their travels when they head to the East Midlands to do battle with Northampton Town, at the Sixfields Stadium. 

Argyle will be looking to secure progression to the semi-finals of the St Luke’s Challenge Cup when they meet Buckland Athletic at Homers Heath.

The Greens booked their place in the round with a comfortable 4-1 away victory over Exmouth Town, where Deane Smalley scored a hat-trick, while the Bucks ensured progression into the quarter-final stages with a 3-0 away victory over Elburton Villa. 

Buckland are no strangers to this cup competition with the Toolstation Western League Premier Division side winning the competition twice before – the game will kick-off at 7:30pm. 

Attention then turns to our Sky Bet League 2 away fixture at Northampton Town where John Sheridan’s men will be looking to get back to winning ways. 

Argyle have failed to win in their last five away games in all competitions and have not won in their last three league games, which is something John Sheridan will be looking to put right against Chris Wilder’s men. 

The Cobblers themselves have not been in the best of form, with Wilder’s side winning just once in their last six matches, with that win coming against Stevenage in their most recent home game – Marc Richards scoring the decisive goal.

Sheridan’s men can take encouragement from last season’s record against Northampton after winning both home and away matches, and is a fixture which Lewis Alessandra is fond of, having scored in both games. 

The game at Home Park saw the Pilgrims secure a dramatic 1-0 win, with Lewi scoring late on after latching onto Reuben Reid’s defence-cutting through ball to slot calmly past the helpless ‘keeper. 

Argyle then completed the double over the Cobblers with a 2-0 win at Sixfields with Reuben reacting quickest to a deflected effort from Jason Banton which dropped kindly for the talisman to drill home. The Greens then secured the three points with Lewi’s cross-come-shot finding the corner of the net.