All Ink Good Time

JOHN Sheridan will not keep his out-of-contract Pilgrims hanging on until the end of the season before deciding their future.

The Argyle manager, who takes his squad to Dagenham & Redbridge this weekend looking to bounce back from last Saturday’s home 4-0 Sky Bet League 2 defeat by York, is not quite ready to begin talking yet, though.

The number of Pilgrims in the first-team squad that have deals which extend beyond the end of the current campaign is less than those who do not and John said: “I’ve got it in the back of my mind there are one or two I would like to talk to or offer new contracts but I know when the time will be right to do that.

“I know – I’ve had it myself – that you need to know where your future lies; you have got families, and it’s their life. I would never delay anything for the purpose of trying to take the mickey out of anyone. I will do it when the time is right and it won’t be the last game of the season – I don’t work like that.

“At this moment, it is not the right time and I am just going to hold on a while and the time will come when I have to do it.”

The match at the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Stadium will be John’s 50th as Chief Pilgrim, and there are definite echoes of a previous successful first half-century at his previous club.

“I feel as though I’ve done alright in the year since I’ve been here,” he said. “If you look at my points tally (67 points from 49 games), it’s not too bad. I’d like a lot better and I think we should have a lot better.

“I went to Chesterfield and, in my first year there, I finished eighth on 70 points; the following year, I got rid of 13 players; the following year we won the league.”