Shot in the Arm

ARGYLE defender Joe Riley played through the pain barrier for much of Argyle’s 3-0 Sky Bet League Two victory over Walsall, and earned the respect of manager Ryan Lowe for doing so.

Right wing-back Joe needed a pain-killing shot in the arm that he broke last season, having aggravated the injury in a previous match this campaign.

That helped him take to the Home Park pitch as the Pilgrims notched their third win of the 2019-20 league campaign to rise to second in the division, thanks to two goals from Ryan Taylor and another from substitute Antoni Sarcevic.

Manager Ryan Lowe said: “Joe got a whack [on his arm] – I can’t remember what game it was. He landed on it, and obviously he’s got a plate in it, so we feel it just gave a little bit of a shock to it.

“He’s fine. He can move it; it’s just a little bit sore.

“He’s had an injection to play, so he goes right up in my estimation, because he didn’t want to let us down; he didn’t want to let the fans down; he didn’t want to let the club down; and, ultimately, he didn’t want to let himself down. If he does, he could find himself out of the team.”

Should Joe need more recovery time, Ryan is confident the Pilgrims will be able to cover for his absence.

He said: “We’ve got players who can fill that role. Joe Edwards went out there for a little bit and Josh Grant can play there also.

“We’re fine; we’ll just make sure we recover him properly.”