Argyle and Wigan Athletic played out a frustrating 1-1 draw at Home Park on a blustery Saturday afternoon.
It was frustrating for most supporters, for sure – the game never really turned into any sort of spectacle other than an attritional push for points.
It was certainly frustrating for Argyle in general. The Pilgrims led via a Lorent Tolaj penalty on 70 minutes, but indecision and indecisiveness in the ranks led to Fraser Murray slamming home an equaliser to split the points.
Frustration also abounded for Tom Cleverley. He had to serve part of his touchline suspension, and sitting in the stand watching the game that unfolded was not the Head Coach’s ideal Saturday, as he watched his side play out their first draw since March, when Argyle’s opponents that day were…Tom Cleverley’s Watford.
“I think it sums our season up a little bit in terms of ‘just not there yet’,” said Cleverley after the game, to Argyle TV. “We didn't do quite enough to win the game.
“I don't think there was enough urgency or enough ownership. [We didn’t say] ‘I'm going to take this game by the scruff of the neck, we're going to set the tone and we're going go and win it.’
“The really disappointing thing is we managed to find ourselves 1-0 up - which was probably a little bit fortunate - and then you have to win the game. It's one of those scruffy games that you need to win in a successful season.
“It was a game that you could argue should have finished 0-0. I don't think either team looked like they had the ambition - I don't want to say quality; there's a lot of good players out there - but ambition to go and win the game.
“I didn't think [Wigan] did enough to break us down today. The opening for the goal, we certainly gave them with a lack of conviction in our clearances. To concede the goal in the manner we did, everyone's really disappointed with that.
“Wigan showed us a lot of respect. Their team has always played with two strikers; they put an extra midfielder in there, they sat off us, and we just didn't have the urgency or final product to break that down. Now it is difficult conditions, I understand, but where we want to get to is winning these kinds of games.
“Listen, it's a really genuine group of players in there. They always try their best for the football club, but I think there's still another 20% we can unlock. That's a mentality of wanting to dominate and really take the game to teams who are going to come here, pay us respect and sit in a little bit.
“Things don't just present themselves for you at this level. You have to go make them happen.”
