Digging In

Their 2-1 victory at Meadow Lane owed as much to a gutsy and organised defensive display as it did to first-half goals from Jake Jervis and Nauris Bulvitis, and Gary said: “We didn’t want to come away without the win; a draw would have been a bad result for us.

“I thought we played some brilliant football in the first half; the second half was a bit backs against the wall. We just needed to dig that win out and, thankfully, we got it. We’ll take anything to get the first win and get ourselves under way.

“As it is in any season, to get the first win is crucial; the sooner you get it, the more you can build on.”

Latvian international Nauris’s winner came after Jake’s early goal was quickly equalised by Jon Stead. Gary said: “It’s not a good goal from our point of view – definitely too easy – but the boys showed character to come back from that. We put some good blocks on the line and ground out a win, which is all that matters.”

The Pilgrims vice-captain sees Argyle scoring a lot more goals this season like the winner at Meadow Lane, which came following Connor Smith’s corner.

“We have got some big lads that we have brought in,” said Gary. “We are a more imposing side than we were last year; we have got a lot more height in the team and that’s definitely something we will be looking to get some goals from this year, especially with the delivery we’ve got.”

Gary believes that there is much more to come from his team-mates, who have endured a grueling start to the season with three away games in a week which have put around 1,800 miles on the clock.

He said: “You look at the positives of the first half; if we play like that for 90 minutes, I’m not sure anyone can live with us at this level. We have got some great players that they have brought to the club – it’s just gelling and building the team.

“We haven’t been together long – it’s a work in progress – but the boys have worked so hard, it’s just a deserved win for us. 

“It’s been a tough start for us, the way the fixtures have come out, but they are out of the way now; the long journeys are done, and we’ve come out with a win at the end of it. We needed that.”