Shez on Shrimpers

JOHN Sheridan was full of his praise for his Argyle side after their 1-1 Sky Bet League 2 draw with high-flying Southend United.

In a Home Park game which saw both teams impress with good football and defensive organisation, a draw certainly seemed the fairest result. The Shrimpers will be pleased with traveling 269 miles to get a result against one of the division’s in-form teams, whilst the Pilgrims did not look out of place at all against one of the title favourites.

Dominic Blizzard’s deflected effort in the 65th minute put Argyle ahead, but they were pegged back three minutes later when Kevan Hurst poked home an equaliser beyond Luke McCormick.

John remained positive after the full time whistle, and was pleased with how confidently his side played against quality opposition.

“I think we stood up to the test, to be honest,” he said. “Southend are a good team – probably the most organised team in the division, and the most in form as well.

“They’re going really well and getting some good results, but I thought we were the better team, if I’m honest. Full credit to the players.”

Clearly, John not only thought the Greens were comfortable against Phil Brown’s side, but also that they could have won.

“We had some good opportunities,” he said. “In and around the box, we probably didn’t do as well with our chances as we should’ve done, but I thought, in the second half, we really got at Southend.

“The crying shame really is that we didn’t lead for longer than we did. If we did, we probably would’ve gone on and won the game. Even at 1-1, we were the team going who were chasing.

“It was a tough game, but I think we’ve really come on as a team. It was a really good performance from us; it’s just a shame we weren’t able to win.”

The point for Argyle means their forward momentum continues - going above Cheltenham and into 11th place. With another unbeaten run growing – six now in all competitions – John is committed to turning respectful draws into impressive wins.

“We’re greedy,” he said. “We want to get all three points because the games do run out eventually, when we’re trying to catch the teams above us.

“It’s a shame that [Curtis] Nelson’s effort late on hit the post, but you can see the desire in the team, and how we want to win football matches.

“It was a good test for us today, and we stood up to it well.”