Devils in the Detail

The Red Devils currently sit 16th in the table having played one more game than Argyle with their form standing at two wins in their last six fixtures. It would take a superb run in from Crawley to make up the 11 points which they currently trail the play-off positions. Equally, it would take a catastrophic drop-off for them to fall into the relegation zone, as they currently sit 13 points above the bottom two. 

“It’s going to be a really tough game," said Carl. "It’s going to be like any game in this league, no game’s easy. Those games (against mid table teams) can be the toughest games but there’ll be no complacency on our part.

“We’ve got quite a good away record this year and we want to continue that. We’ll be going there to win the game like we do every game.

“They’re in a tough position (Crawley). We’ll be well prepared for it. We’ll go there and try and win the game like we do every game."

Some have described McHugh as one of Argyle's unsung heroes. Although, as they increasingly do so, he paradoxically becomes increasingly 'sung'.  Wherever the plaudits for Argyle's performances go, though, Carl is keen to stress the team effort that has gone into the Pilgrims' successful campaign thus far.

He said: “Obviously your players that score your goals [get the praise] and rightly so - they’re really talented attacking players who get a lot of the plaudits. It’s the hardest thing in football to score goals but if you look at Gary Sawyer, and the whole back four: Pete [Hartley], Nelse [Curtis Nelson], Kelv [Mellor] and Luke [McCormick], we’ve had a solid base all season. 

"You need that to build on, if you don’t have that the attacking players find it harder to come into games.

“I think it’s been a massive team push all season and we’re going to need that for the rest of the season as well."

Going into the game on Saturday with nine yellow cards to his name Carl knows he has to be cautious, for a tenth will lead to a two-match ban. The cards on record are wiped in an amnesty on the second Sunday in March. 

“I’ve got five or six games I just need to try and get through so I’ll do my best," said Carl. 

"With the position I’m in I have to be involved, so I’m not going to take that away from my game - I just have to try and use my brain when to do so.

“It’s not in me to stop doing what I’m doing. It’s in me; I’m not going to pull out of anything but I think a lot of the bookings earlier on in the season it was going to ground when I didn’t have to. I’ve learnt as the season's gone on to pick and choose my tackles. That’s just part of learning the position."