Ryan's Cautious Removal

ARGYLE manager Ryan Lowe brought off free-scoring forward Ryan Taylor as a precaution during the interval of the Pilgrims’ 4-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Reading on Tuesday night.

The striker opened the scoring, just a few days after netting a brace in the 3-0 Sky Bet League Two victory over Walsall at Home Park on the weekend, but did not emerge from the tunnel after the half-time break, with the game finely poised at 1-1.

“He got a whack on his ankle on the front of his foot. As a precaution, we got him off the pitch because, as I’ve said to you, the league is our priority,” said Lowe. “Nothing to worry about. He wanted to stay on the pitch, but I said to him, ‘no, you’re coming off.’”

Lowe admitted in the post-match press conference that his no.9 did not want to be withdrawn from the action, understandably given his form, but the Pilgrims’ manager felt it was necessary in the grand scheme of things, with league football coming thick and fast.

“He’s in a rich vein of form, you want him to keep playing, keep scoring and that’s what he’s doing,” said Lowe. “When you’re in a rich vein of form like that and you’re scoring goals, you want to play every game no matter what and Ryan wanted to stay on.

“He had a bruise on the top of his foot, like a stud, but what’s the point [in risking an injury]? We feel if it was a cup final he would’ve stayed on, we would’ve made him stay on, but it wasn’t. We had to do the right thing and make the choice for him really, but he’ll get the ice on it and we’ll settle it down and we’ll take it from there.”