Staggering

JOHN Sheridan believes the performance of his Argyle side was not reflected in their 1-0 defeat to Mansfield Town.

With the Greens on their best run of form for a number of seasons and the hosting Stags parting company with manager Paul Cox the day before the game, not many would have predicted that Argyle would come away from the One Call Stadium empty handed.

A calm and composed finish from Vadaine Oliver in the 45th minute was enough to see the hosts past the Pilgrims, but many in attendance left the game shocked that there were not more additions to the score-sheet.

Both sides had plenty of opportunities to score throughout the game, with Lewis Alessandra, Kelvin Mellor and Deane Smalley all spurning chances for Sheridan’s side, and whilst he was not pleased with the result, he expects the team to take plenty of positives from the game.

“To be fair, I do not think we played that badly today. I thought we played alright, but we have not got the result we wanted,” said Sheridan.

“It is a soft, soft goal to concede right before half time, and it just gives them impetus to hang on to the result.

“I was comfortable in the game. We had one or two balls that were going in the box but I never really felt they were threatening us.

“I would have been happy to go in 0-0 at half time, and then possibly the game would have had a different outcome.

“We had a go in the second half. We were brave and trying to get something out of the game. We left ourselves open once or twice but I do not mind that – we were trying to get a goal.

“I was quite pleased with the performance, even though these are the games that, if you want to get out of the division, you need to be getting something out of.

“It just did not go our way. There were one or two balls that went across the box in the second half, as well.”

The manager is already looking to his team’s next fixture – against York City at Home Park next weekend – and knows that the squad’s ability to maintain their confidence will be the key to getting back to winning ways.

“I have just said to the players that they have just got to bounce back and pick up three points next week.

“That will show our character. We have been playing well of late so we just need to take this on the chin and say it is a bad result for us, but it is not a bad performance and we take that into next week.

“I think we are playing okay (away from home), but obviously I would like better results. We have just got to maintain our home form, and hopefully we will start picking up one or two away from home.

“It is a big, big three points now next week in our home game.

“We have just got to try and take it on the chin. It was a bad result but I do not think it was a bad performance.”