Ahead of the Game - Stag Hunt

WE take a look at the week ahead with Liam Spence

AFTER securing a comprehensive 3-0 victory over our dockyard rivals Portsmouth on Armed Services Day in front of the Sky Sports cameras, Argyle’s pursuit for the automatic promotion spots continues when they travel to 19th-placed Mansfield Town, on Saturday. 

Before that, the Pilgrims will find out who they will play in the second round of the FA Cup when Sky Bet League 1 sides Sheffield United and Crewe Alexandra lock horns in their replay on Tuesday night, at Bramall Lane – with the fixture at Gresty Road having ended in a 0-0 stalemate. 

Then, on Friday night, at 7:45pm-midnight, the Green Taverners will be hosting a fun-filled night of entertainment and music to help raise money for the Argyle Ladies – to be hosted in the Green Taverners suite, with entry for the event priced at £10 per person. 

To purchase tickets for the Argyle Ladies fundraiser and enjoy a pasty and a can of beer for a good cause call the Green Taverners ticket line on 07772569958.

Argyle will be looking to extend their unbeaten league run to eight when they travel to the One Call Stadium to take on Paul Cox’s Mansfield. 

John Sheridan is keen to make Home Park a difficult place to visit, which it is becoming, with the Greens winning seven successive games at home, and he will be looking to transfer this home form into picking up results away from home. 

Mansfield have failed to win in their last eight games, with their most recent defeat coming at the hands of Argyle’s fellow promotion-chasers Shrewsbury Town, who ran out 2-0 winners against the depleted side after Jamie McGuire was sent-off after just 30 minutes for a second bookable offence – so the confident Pilgrims will be looking to capitalise on this poor run of form. 

Prior to Argyle’s trip to Nottinghamshire, Paul Cox’s side must first attend to their re-arranged FA Cup first-round fixture against non-league Concord Rangers – with the original fixture being postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. 

The two previous fixtures between the Pilgrims and the Stags have been close-fought affairs.

The Pilgrims rescued a point in last season’s home fixture when Lewis Alessandra scored in the 90th-minute to cancel out Matt Rhead’s strike. While the earlier away fixture had seen Neal Trotman’s stoppage-time header secure all three points.