Easter Monday Preview
ARGYLE will be looking to bounce back in the second part of our Easter double header against promotion chasing Barnsley. The Tykes currently sit in second on 85 points.
With three Sky Bet League One games to play, Daniel Stendel’s side are well in contention to get back to the Championship at the first time of asking.
From their three games this month, they lost to Burton (3-1), then bounced back to beat Fleetwood (4-2) and followed it up most recently beating Shrewsbury on Good Friday (2-1). Interestingly they went through the whole of March without losing.
Three wins accompanied three draws, a twelve-point haul made all the more impressive considering Coventry were the only team to score against them in a 2-2 draw on March 30. it is their ability to keep the ball out which has put Barnsley in such a strong position.
In fact, it is Portsmouth who have fared best over the last eight games, picking up an impressive 21 points. However, Barnsley, with 15, are still on a par with Luton.
Barnsley have picked up 15 points fewer away from home, as opposed to at Oakwell (50 at home). Stendel’s men boast the most miserly defence in the league, having only conceded 36 times all season, one fewer than league leaders, Luton Town.
Thankfully for Derek Adams’ Pilgrims, the visitors top scorer, Torbay-born Kieffer Moore had his season ended prematurely through injury, after he contributed 18 goals and four assists. However, his colleague Cauley Woodrow is hot on his heels with 17.
From our perspective, we were on course to beat Gillingham away from home for the first time in over 30 years after Freddie Ladapo had grabbed his eighteenth of the season. However, at home with the backing of the Green Army, we are a different proposition all together. Just one loss at home this year (Charlton) gives us reason for optimism on Easter Monday.
While we take on Barnsley at Home Park this afternoon, another Argyle side welcome Godolphin Atlantic to Coach Road for our penultimate match in the Carlsberg South-West Peninsula League campaign.