G Force

ARGYLE manager Derek Adams hailed Graham Carey’s “magnificent” free-kick as the Greens battled back from a goal down to secure a 1-1 Sky Bet League One draw with Portsmouth on Saturday.

Carey’s goal, which came on the 70th minute, sparked a finishing flurry that could, on another day, have seen Argyle snatch all three points in the Dockyard Derby.

“We got a free-kick on the edge of the area,” said Derek after the game. “Graham Carey, it was a magnificent strike from him to put it into the top corner.

“There’s nothing the goalkeeper can do about it. It goes over the wall and the pace that was on the ball, it was always going to cause him a problem. You saw, after he scored the goal, the confidence he had after that.”

Carey, who has often been Argyle’s main creative threat in the Derek Adams era, has been suffering from a rare goal drought this campaign, having not scored since the 3-2 Sky Bet League One defeat against Doncaster in September. Following his goal, though, the Irishman looked like his old self, with a flamboyant bit of skill leading the Home Park crowd to give him a spontaneous standing ovation.

The Irishman has been an integral part of the Pilgrims’ recent resurgence while not necessarily reaching the goalscoring heights of previous seasons, and he is already in double-figures for assists during this campaign. His manager believes that Saturday’s goal could be the catalyst for a return to goalscoring form.

 “He had a bit of outrageous skill on the by-line to flick it around the defender and get it the other side,” said Derek. “When you’re in confident mood you try things that sometimes you wouldn’t do.

 “He’s been the talisman for the number of seasons since I’ve been at the football club.

“Other people take over that mantle but Graham will get back to doing that. He’s scored his first goal against Portsmouth on a very special occasion because it was a full-capacity crowd here.

“We’ve sent the home supporters away happy because they’ve seen a team with a bit of excitement, a bit of creativity, wanting to go on and win the match against a team at the top of the table.”

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