Time to Toughen Up

Just as much as any Argyle player, member of staff or fan, the Irishman considered last week's defeat to Exeter City as a sickening blow. Instead of dwelling on the result, though, Carl is intent on using those emotions in a positive way, beginning against AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.

“It's probably the worst I've felt after a game – since I've started playing, anyway,” said McHugh. “It was just horrible, the way the game obviously ended, and it's been a tough week.

“It was good to get back out on the training pitch Monday and Tuesday, and we're just looking forward to the game. The game can't come soon enough, really – for me anyway – just to try and get it out of your system. You have to be strong in these situations and you have to look forward. Obviously you don't forget about it because it hurts, but you take that hurt forward and try and use it to your advantage over the last six games.

“If you feel sorry for yourself in football, football doesn't feel sorry for you. You have to be tough and you have to get on with it, because no-one's going to do you any favours – you have to do it for yourself. You can't worry about anyone else's results; you have to worry about yourself, and we've got six games. It's not in our hands, but it's in our hands if we win enough games.”

With the Greens still in a strong position to finish inside Sky Bet League 2's automatic promotion places, Carl is not looking past his own side's immediate objectives as they aim to finish in the top three.

“We're just looking at it one game at a time. I know it's an old cliché but we are,” said McHugh.

“We just have to put every focus and every effort into the next game, and we have to try and get as many wins as we can between now and the end of the season, but our focus now is just Wimbledon on Saturday.

“You can't worry too much about who's going to win here or who's going to win there, because in football it never works out like that. There's going to be shock results between now and the end of the season for every team involved, and we just have to worry about ourselves. Look after ourselves, do our own job and hopefully we'll be alright come the end of the season.”