Starter For One

NEW Pilgrim Tom Flanagan helped Argyle to a Sky Bet League 2 point against Southend United, and was not far off from making it all three on a debut to remember.

The Milton Keynes central defender contributed to a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw at Roots Hall, and was prevented from claiming a winning goal only by the woodwork.

Back to the target, he deflected Andy Kellett’s late shot on to the Southend crossbar – albeit inadvertently – and then saw Reuben Reid smack the same framework of the goal with a follow-up shot.

“I didn’t try to score – I thought I was offside – then Reuben hit the bar,” he said. “I didn’t really know what was behind me – that’s not my part of it.

“We could have stolen it at the end. I think we were the better team in the first half but I think he wind had a part to play in that; in the second half, [Southend] were better, but we still looked dangerous.

“If we’d won, [Southend] would have been bitterly disappointed; if we’d lost, we would have felt exactly the same. I think it’s fair to say that both teams would have taken a draw.”

Despite the lack of goals, the game was an entertaining one, with Argyle clearly back on form after their disappointing display in another goal-less stalemate seven days earlier, at York.

“A couple of the boys described it as ‘a play-off final’, it was so end-to-end, so open,” said Tom. “A couple said: ‘Believe it or not, we do play football.’ But that is just that, when you come to places like this – both teams are pretty close to each other in the league – no-one wants to lose the game.

“There were a lot of chances, but I think that was the tempo. I think we should have slowed the game down a little bit; we put ourselves in a couple of situations. But 0-0 away from home…two points a game is promotion form so win on Saturday and that’s two points a game: win your home games and draw your aways and get the odd win, and you’ll be fine.

“It was always a tough game but to some here and create as many chances as we did can only spur you on. I wasn’t playing today thinking ‘We’re never going to score’ because we did create.”