Five Alive

The return of goalkeeper Luke McCormick at Hartlepool, following groin and finger injuries, gave the defensive unit a familiar feel, and they provided the platform for the 2-1 win with one of their number, Kelvin Mellor, scoring the last-minute winner.

Manager Derek Adams said: “When you have that solid base to go forward, you are going to have a better opportunity of winning games.

“They have got a good understanding. It has been difficult over the last couple of weeks because we have had to change the squad around a bit. We have still got the injuries to come back to give us competition, but what I have got is a very good group of players who want to play in this side.

“Luke’s a very good presence for us. He’s an experienced goalkeeper. It’s tough on the likes of Christian Walton and James Bittner but Luke McCormick is one of the best goalkeepers in this league.”

Having come through a sticky patch to regain their place at the top of Sky Bet League 2, Argyle can now look forward to the second half of the campaign with optimism.

“Hopefully, by the turn of the year, we have got a clean bill of health and competition for places,” said Derek. “We will try to strengthen in January, as well, and we’ll see where we can go from there.”