Taking Shape

ARGYLE showed off a slightly different shape in their goalless draw with Mansfield Town, as they successfully battled against their opponents’ style of play.

Ryan Brunt and Josh Simpson were deployed a slightly narrower, changeable formation at the One Call Stadium, and the Greens were able to nullify most of the hosts’ attacking threat in a goalless draw. 

“We knew it was going to be difficult coming here, to play a physical side,” said Derek. “We knew the pitch was tight, so it was a different game to start with today.

“We knew they were going to cause us a wee bit of trouble physically, which was shown by their long throws at every opportunity, so we had to deal with that. 

“Sometimes in this league you have to deal with the long ball. People play to their strengths, and then we have to deal with that, and I thought we dealt with it very well. It’s great to have a clean sheet, and I think that’s important."

Adams and his Pilgrims take their first away draw of the season back to Home Park, as they begin preparations for three home games in a row – culminating with the visit of Exeter City in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

“You look at the games today,” said Adams, “and Barnet have obviously won today – a very good victory for them. We play them first, and then we’ve got Crawley. 

“We’re looking forward to these games, and we want to continue the momentum that we’ve got. It’s very early in the season; it’s just about putting performances together, and we’ve been able to do that.”