No Big Dip

THE disappointment of conceding a last-minute equaliser in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Blackpool lingered for as long as it took the Pilgrims’ team-coach to complete the Golden Mile on the way home.

The thoughts of manager Derek Adams and midfielder Joel Grant immediately turned to the New Year’s Day visit of Walsall and what should be a bumper Home Park crowd in a holiday mood.

First-half goals from Ruben Lameiras and Graham Carey helped extend Argyle’s unbeaten Sky Bet League One run to six matches and gave them seven points from three games in eight days either side of Christmas Day, after wins at home to Oldham and at Milton Keynes. 

It would have been nine had not Blackpool’s on-loan Birmingham City forward Viv Solomon-Otabor found a way through the Pilgrims’ defence in the fourth minute of time added on to add to team-mates Colin Daniel’s 56th-minute strike. 

Disappointed as he was, Derek’s focus quickly switched to aiming for another holiday victory over Walsall. 

He said: “If you had said, before the game, we would come to Blackpool and take a point [after] we go to MK Dons and take three points and we take three points at home to Oldham, we would all be very happy. 

“That’s what we are – we are happy that we have collected seven points from the three games over the festive period and we want to make it ten this weekend.” 

Likewise Joel, who, like everyone else connected with Argyle, suffered similar recent agonies when Rotherham United denied them an away win with a very late leveler. 

“We can’t think about it for too long because, before you know it, we have Walsall,” he said.

“It’s a point away from home. We know we should have won that but we move on to Monday now.

“It happened at Rotherham. I thought we may have learned there, but it wasn’t to be today; I’m sure, on Monday, we will put it right. 

“You have got to look at the form leading into this game and all the positive stuff that we have been doing, and take that into Monday and try to get the win. 

“We aim for three points each game; we didn’t get it today, but that’s part and parcel of football – you might not win every game. 

“The key now is: can we get three points on Monday? That’s what we will look to do.”