Brunty At The Double

The 22-year-old, who had scored the winner in Argyle’s previous two games, set them on their way to their ninth away triumph of the season with a goal direct from a free-kick midway through the first half.

While there was no doubt about that one, the Pilgrims’ late second strike was attributed in some quarters to team-mate Gregg Wylde, who appeared to touch Ryan’s deflected shot over the goal-line.

However, Ryan said: “It was over the line before [Gregg]’s put it in. I know because the lino’s said ‘It’s your goal, else I would have given it offside.’ To be honest, I wasn’t sure when it first went in, but the lino said ‘It’s your goal’.

The late goal was Ryan’s fourth in three matches and followed a third which came after strike partner Jake Jervis had been fouled 20 yards from the Carlisle goal.

He said: “Graham [Carey]’s not in the team so we had no free-kick taker as such – Tanns [Craig Tanner] takes them, but he wasn’t on the pitch. It was in the middle of the goal, so I thought ‘why not have a hit, give it a whack?’ and obviously it’s gone in. 

“A goal’s a goal – it doesn’t matter where it comes from – but I enjoy taking free-kicks; it’s a little bit different.”

Ryan is now on six goals for the season, five of which have come in a hot streak that began with his late leveller in a 1-1 draw at Dagenham & Redbridge at the start of December. Not that he is even contemplating resting on his laurels.

“When your luck’s in, your luck’s in, I guess,” he said. “As a striker, it’s nice to have it.

“I have got to keep going and really push on. The performance from myself personally wasn’t great – they were a tough two centre-halves to play against on my own up front, but I have got to be better, I think.”