Hard Part Yet To Come

JOHN SHERIDAN’s Argyle may well have looked impressive, and perhaps even a little hard done by, in their third round tie in the FA Cup with Budweiser at Port Vale...

...but the manager knows it will not be plain sailing when the two meet again at Home Park on Tuesday.

“People think we’ve done the hard part,” said John, “But we haven’t. I know that and the players know that.”

At Vale Park the home side took a 2-0 lead, but did so against the run of play. After the interval, a resurgent Argyle drew level and could easily have won the tie outright in Staffordshire.

Whoever progresses from this tie – which could go to extra-time and penalties if required - will face Sky Bet Championship side Brighton in the fifth round, which serves as motivation for both clubs.

“A game against a Championship side at home could help both teams financially and Port Vale will want to win as much as us,” John said.

“We’ll try and take the game to Port Vale like we did in the first game but Micky’s (Adams) teams are always hard to play against.

“We’re set up to try and win games so it shows because we’ve only lost two in sixteen.

“Micky agreed that Port Vale didn’t play well and we did play well. Two games are never the same I expect a very tough game at home.

“It will be difficult, as they’re going well in their division. We’ve got to work very hard.”

With Argyle’s league campaign prospering, some would argue that more games in the cup would be a distraction from continuing the improvement in the league form. Not so, says the gaffer.

“I’d rather be playing games Saturday and Tuesday,” said John. “We’re playing with confidence; I think you’d want to play to keep momentum going.”