Second Wind

ARGYLE manager John Sheridan praised his side’s second half performance in their 1-0 win over Accrington Stanley...

...as the Greens looked to recapture their free-flowing style of play.

Lewis Alessandra’s ninth goal of the season proved to be all the Pilgrims needed to end a run of seven games without a victory. In the 42nd minute, Alessandra’s charging run into the box with the ball was halted by Seamus Conneely, but the forward managed to win the ball back and fire home from a tight angle.

That goal appeared to give the Greens a layer of confidence in the second half that had been lost over the course their winless streak. Multiple chances were created to put the game beyond doubt from the playmaking qualities of Olly Lee and Bobby Reid, as well as wing backs Kelvin Mellor and Drew Talbot stretching the play and being assured enough in their ability to take on defenders.

Albeit with some new faces, the performance was the closest that Argyle have come to showing their form from earlier in the season in quite some time, which did not escape the attention of their manager.

“For 25 minutes or half an hour in the second half, I thought we were excellent,” said John. “We could’ve seen the game out and gone 3-0 or 4-0 in front.”

“We created chances to score goals but it didn’t go our way, and when it’s 1-0 the opposition always feel they have got a chance.”

Sheridan will be looking for the lads to carry that new-found confidence into their midweek trip to Wycombe Wanderers. Despite Gareth Ainsworth’s team flying high in Sky Bet League 2, the win and performance over against Stanley have made the boss extremely eager to see his team stake their claim for promotion against one of the league’s best teams.

“We can possibly go on a winning streak, and I think we have got a really good game Tuesday,” said John.

“I am looking forward to the game. It is a tough game that no one expects us to win, but I sure feel that we can go and get something.

“We have got some tough games coming up, and you won’t get a harder game than on Tuesday, but I prefer these games.”