Argyle v Burton - Reasons to be Cheerful

WITH the league leaders of Sky Bet League 2 heading to Home Park this Friday, Rob McNichol takes a look at reasons why we should be optimistic...

Knocking Them In
With two goals against Cheltenham Town last week, Reuben Reid has moved onto 17 goals in Sky Bet League 2 this season, just one behind the division's top marksman, Matt Tubbs. He has 19 in all competitions, having scored 21 last campaign. Burton, meanwhile, do not boast an out-and-out goalscorer. In fact, none of the Brewers' players have more than half a dozen goals to their name this season. Lucas Akins, Stuart Beavon and Adam McGurk have all notched six in all competitions, while there are two players on five and one on four. Their top goalscorer, former Pilgrim Alex MacDonald, was sold to Oxford United in January. 

Keeping Them Out
Argyle have kept a clean sheet in more than half of their League 2 fixtures in 2014-15, foiling the opposition on 20 out of 39 occasions. Even more condensed, that figure becomes nine clean sheets in 16 games in 2015, and shut-outs in four of the last five fixtures. In 22 fixtures at Home Park, in all competitions, the Pilgrims have kept a clean sheet 14 times. If the tally carries on into Friday's fixture, Argyle have a great chance of notching another Home Park victory. 

No Wins for Jim
Burton have an illustrious manager in Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. The former Dutch international striker scored over 200 goals in a career that saw him play for Leeds, Atletico Madrid Chelsea among others - but he never scored, or won, at Home Park. His only visit was with Cardiff, in September 2007. The game finished 2-2, after Argyle had been 2-0 up.