Official Approval

ARGYLE manager Derek Adams received confirmation of the Pilgrims’ impressive performance at Barnsley on Tuesday from an unlikely source – match referee Carl Boyeson. 

The official was among plenty at Oakwell whose eye was caught by Argyle’s showing in their 1-1 Sky Bet League One draw against opponents looking to bounce back into the Championship after being relegated last season.

Derek said: “They are a big club - their budget’s huge in this league – and they had a lot of supporters for a Tuesday night game, but everybody would say we played really well tonight; the referee said, after the game, that he couldn’t believe how well we played.

“When you are the referee, you see the game, you see the action, you see the chances we created, and we did create a lot of good opportunities.”

After Alex Mowatt had given Barnsley the lead with a stunning strike inside the first ten minutes, Argyle rallied and secured a point when Ruben Lameiras scored his second goal in successive games, just before half-time.

The draw did not lift the Pilgrims off the bottom of the table, but it did keep them in touch with rivals, and it did lift morale.

Derek said: “You have to look at the league; it is very tight. There are a number of teams that have only won three games this season and are sitting well into the top half of the table.

“You need to go on a run of games with wins, we understand that, but to come away here on a Tuesday night…it’s an important point for us.

“The players are in buoyant mood and, to be fair to them, they have been in decent spirits – and I know I shouldn’t really say that because we are where we are - but we know we have been playing well and where we are is not where we want to be.

“The confidence in the group has always been there. They believe in their ability. We have been unfortunate in games this season. We now need to win games to get ourselves further up.”