The W Words

IN the beginning of his first pre-season campaign as Argyle manager, Derek Adams’ focus seemed very much on recruitment and fitness.

Now, suddenly, a couple of ‘W’s are creeping in: ‘Winning’ and ‘Wimbledon’. 

No matter who the opposition may be, winning is a good habit to get into. A 2-1 victory over Reading under-21s on Saturday was the Greens third win from four fixtures at this stage of pre-season, with two games remaining – against National League sides Torquay United and Forest Green Rovers. 

As the start of the season approaches, on August 8 at AFC Wimbledon, Derek is hinting at plans for that fixture starting to firm up in his mind. 

Derek said:  "It's important the players get their fitness levels and tactically we sort the team out but it's always nice to have that winning feeling and we've had that in the majority of the games we've played this season." 
 
The Argyle manager knows that no pre-season fixture is easy, as each game his team has faced has proved to be a stern assessment. With strong competition from local rivals Torquay up next Derek said: "We're looking forward to going there. I think it'll be a tough game. I think all the pre-season games are tough; we've played against teams that are higher than us and lower than us and they've all been competitive. 

"It's just about gaining momentum and game time, just really looking at the squad we've got now and finalising of the finer details.
 
"It's helped us progress over the last four games; we've got two games to go this week, where we'll get the finishing touches to the side that's going to hopefully play against Wimbledon. 

"I know roughly the team we're going to play against Wimbledon. The progress is going well and the players are understanding what I require. That's a major bonus as well."