Shez All-in for Exeter

SATURDAY’S 1-1 draw at Accrington has made Tuesday’s Devon Expressway Derby a must-win game for Argyle, according to manager John Sheridan.

The Pilgrims’ gaffer was already calling the match, for which 10,000 tickets had been sold before the weekend, the club’s biggest game of the season.

He ratcheted up the stakes at the Crown Ground, saying: “If we’d won today, we could have gone into the Exeter derby and been happy with a draw. Now we have got to win.”

He revealed that he had left Plymothians Paul Wotton and Luke Young out of Saturday’s starting 11 with one eye on the midweek match, and gave further indication that Wottsy may win a place in the derby starting line-up when he cited a lack of communication on the pitch as a reason for the disappointing result against Accrington.

Reuben Reid became the club’s highest-scoring leading scorer for 20 seasons when he netted in the first half, but Argyle lost two points towards their play-off push when Tom Aldred levelled in the 80th minute.

“Have we got no leaders because Wotton’s not playing?” he asked. “We’ve got a bunch of mutes on the pitch.

“He’s not the quickest; he’s not the best passer, or whatever; he just talks.

“Why can’t people talk and shout and organise when you are winning 1-0? I expect you to be quiet if you are getting beaten 3-0 or 4-0  but, when you are winning 1-0 with ten minutes to go, why can’t people organise and shout and say ‘Don’t do that – do this; that is causing us a problem.’ Why can’t they see it on the pitch?

“It’s just me all the time, from the side. I’m sick of my own voice.”