Keeping in Reserve

ARGYLE manager Derek Adams is contemplating...

...giving one of his first-team goalkeepers a run-out in Wednesday’s Walter C Parsons Funeral Directors Cup semi-final.

However, the last-four clash against St Austell will not see a repeat of Saturday, when four Pilgrims’ first-teamers were given a run-out in the Carlsberg South West Peninsula League Premier Division match at St Blazey.

Nauris Bulvitis, Arnie Garita, Connor Smith and Craig Tanner all featured in the 6-0 win, with Arnie scoring twice, but, on the eve of Wednesday's game at Saltash United’s Kimberley Stadium, Derek ruled out the possibility of anyone other than ’keepers Vincent Dorel or Marc McCallum staring the League Cup tie.

“The Under-18s will be playing tomorrow night, as well as the development squad,” he said. “We possibly might have one player, a goalkeeper, who might be playing in the game, depending on the rules. It might be Dorel; it might be McCallum; I haven’t decided as yet.

“The pitch is not in great condition and it wouldn’t benefit me, playing my first-team players there.”

The Pilgrims’ first year in the Premier Division has been a success on-field, with Argyle mirroring their senior squad by maintaining a place in the top three for most of the campaign, and off it, with the Pilgrims proving a big draw at away matches. 

Derek said: “It’s a league that we help sometimes by playing our first-team players to enhance the competition, and it helps us with getting first-team players back to full fitness.

“We would like to play in a reserve league, but it’s not possible and it’s the next best possible thing for us. It’s not ideal, but it is the best situation at this moment in time and I think we’ve seen, playing on a Friday night and when we’ve played on a Tuesday, we have helped a lot teams generate money for them by people coming through the turnstiles.

“Financially, and to do with distances we’d have to cover, there is a huge outlay on cost to get a reserve team in place – travel, coaches, more players. You don’t want to have your Under-18s playing so many games. The club is quite happy to go along with the Under-18 league and the Peninsula.

“The only time it will change is when the club is able to generate more income to benefit them, but it’s not near that.”