Derek post Blackpool H 1

DEREK Adams is patiently waiting for some of his players to hit their straps this season, and believes they soon will.

Argyle’s 1-0 home defeat by Blackpool has left them still searching for their first Sky Bet League One win of 2018-19 after eight matches.

The Argyle manager concedes that part of the reason for the slow start is that key Pilgrims are short of peak form.

“Some players, at this moment in time, are not performing as well as they did last year,” he said, after his side did more or less everything but score against the visiting Seasiders.

“That happens, but you don’t become a bad player overnight – you will get your form back and everybody will be the same player again at some time this season.

“You have just got to keep on working hard and that’s what we are trying to do. We saw that today in the game – we are working ever so hard to get that win or get that goal. It hasn’t been for the want of trying. We will continue to do that.”

Two players who were a force in last season’s surge towards the play-offs – Ryan Taylor and Ruben Lameiras – showed glimpses of their quality when they came on as substitutes with half an hour to play.

“They helped us,” said Derek. “It changed the flow in the game, which you are always hopeful that a substitution will do, and it gave us a new foothold in the game. It did change the manner and the way we played in the second half.

“We had to have an overload somewhere on the pitch and the overload was having Lameiras in the hole [playing off Taylor] to try to get him on the ball. It worked well for us.”

Asked whether he sensed a despondency in the players after all their efforts came to nought, Derek said: “I don’t, and I don’t think anybody else could say that they could see that because of the amount of times we were forceful, getting into the box.

“Everybody had seen that they turned the game around, in our favour - that tells you they're in confident mood. You don't camp yourself in Blackpool's half for the majority of the time that we did and not be a confident team.

“We just need a win. Today, we had a lot of the ball, but we haven’t been clinical enough in that 18-yard box. It’s a simple as that. We give away a goal and we haven’t found the back of the net.

“It sounds simple, and it is simple. You have got to execute [the opportunity] when it comes along."