Adams' Ad Hoc Allowance

FOR a man who puts a premium on preparation, Argyle manager Derek Adams is keen for his players to do their own thing. Now and again.

The Pilgrims nipped into the Sky Bet League Two play-off places thanks to a 1-0 victory over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.

The goal came after Graham Carey had won a corner with an audaciously improvised volley. From the well-worked 50th-minute set-piece, taken short by Connor Smith, Graham delivered a cross that centre-back Nauris Bulvitis headed home.

“I speak to them more and more about doing things off the cuff,” said Derek. “We do set out patterns of play to play to and we do give them instructions. But, at times, I say ‘Listen, you have got to play what you see’ and that is what they did at the short corner.

“We talked about [the corner]; thought about it; and executed it. I think it’s important, when you have these types of players in the team, they take this onus on.”

Bully’s goal his second successive winner in away games after the Latvian international joined the club from Spartaks Jurmala in his homeland.

Derek said: “It is important you have defenders scoring goals from set-plays and he has done that. As I have said before, it is important we get goals throughout the team.

“He’s a Latvian international but I think it will take him time to get going. The speed of the game is at a different level to what he is used to, but he is settling to the combative nature of the game really well.”