Forward Thinking

PAUL Wotton paid tribute to goalscorers Reuben Reid and Lewi Alessandra as Argyle re-ignited their Sky Bet League 2 play-off ambitions with a 2-1 victory at Dagenham & Redbridge.

Evergreen Green Wottsy saw Reuben opening the Pilgrims’ account in the fifth minute, and, after Zavon Hines had levelled, Lewi nicked the winner from Matt Parsons cross 12 minutes before the interval.

Wottsy said: “I’ve known Reuben since his first spell here and I’ve played against him a few times at other clubs – it’s the fittest he’s ever been.

“He’s a big guy, but he’s a threat. I’ve marked him in training; he’s as strong as an ox – once he pins you, you ain’t getting round him.

“His goal – people say it’s an open goal, but he could easily have sliced it – was a composed finish, side-foot.

“Lewi’s goal was a great goal. We haven’t scored one like that for a while – left-footed ball in; great finish at the near post; proper centre-forward’s goal. I was right behind it; it was a great finish and a good response to their equaliser.

“It’s important – not just in this league, but in football – if you score the first goal, you’ve got half a chance. It’s something we talked about beforehand and, fortunately enough, we did.

“We’ve all played in home games when you’ve conceded in the first five or ten minutes. It’s a real sucker blow when you’ve worked all week on something and, all of a sudden, you’re 1-0 down and it kind of goes out of the window.

“I thought we played really well in the first half; in the second half, it got a bit scrappy, but that’s no bad thing, away from home. We were relatively comfortable – it might not have looked like it always, but we were pretty solid.

“We just ground it out – a good workmanlike performance; a good away performance and a fully deserved three points.”