Argyle are back in action on Saturday, welcoming AFC Wimbledon to Home Park, as the Greens play their first game in a fortnight.
International call-ups for Brendan Galloway, Conor Hazard and Law McCabe saw last weekend’s scheduled game against Mansfield Town get postponed, so by the time Argyle and the Dons run out, it will be 14 days since Argyle last played.
That previous game was a rather uninspiring 1-1 draw with Wigan Athletic. The Pilgrims’ last-but-one home fixture was a loss to Peterborough United, so Head Coach Tom Cleverley is keen to improve on those two performances this Saturday.
For the Wimbledon game, Cleverley will once again have the services of Joe Edwards and Bradley Ibrahim, who return after suspensions. Kornel Szucs, who has been out of action through injury since 6 September, could also be poised to return.
Cleverley said: “The break has come at a good time in terms of getting some injured players back and getting some good training into the guys who were suspended, some quality time on the training pitch.
“Obviously when you are in quite a good run of form or some good rhythm in terms of performances, you do generally want to keep it going, but I just felt like, how depleted the squad was, it gives us a bit more time to get those players back.
“The two suspended boys, great to have them back; they bring us real competition in midfield and defensive areas. Kornel has been training; a decision will be made closer to Saturday, whether he'll be involved or not, but even to have Kornel for 20, 30 minutes, with his long throw and things like that, he's a plus.
“Everyone who was on international duty has come back fit and healthy, which is good.
“I'm probably going to have to leave one or two senior players out the squad, which at the level we want to be at are the decisions that I should have to make.”
The home game against Wimbledon will be the last before the Greens go on the road for the next five games, in three different competitions. Should the Bradford City game on 15 November also be postponed because of international activity, the Wimbledon game could be the last men’s match at Home Park for six weeks.
“It's a game I think we'll really cherish because we're not back here for a good amount of time,” said Tom. “We've probably not made the most of our home games in recent weeks, so this is a real opportunity for us to make it happen.
“Against Wigan and Peterborough, we were waiting for it to happen rather than making it happen. That's what we have to go out there and do on Saturday.
“We've struggled a little bit against the teams who have come with a back five, gone really low block, and come here for a draw. Or, we've gone behind, and that team's protecting something so that comes down to intensity.
“Can we keep the tempo of the game high? Can we have that little bit of one-v-one quality in wide areas? We hit the post or bar three times against Peterborough, and had a goal that was over the line not given, but I didn't think we did enough to win the game in either.
“We have to put that right and it starts with the mentality of ‘let's play with an intensity like we are going to make it happen’.”
Johnnie Jackson’s Wimbledon, following a promotion last season, have started really well, and are in the play-off positions. They won four consecutive games before a 1-1 draw with Port Vale last weekend.
“They've got a really reliable squad,” said Cleverley. “You look at them on paper and, watching their last two or three games, there's no real weakness of the team. [They are] really competitive in every area of the pitch, playing a similar system that we've been playing.
“I would say it's a really reliable group of guys, who all know their jobs, who execute them well. They're riding a wave of being promoted and then continuing that good form.
“Johnnie's done an outstanding job because it's not easy going up a level. They've transitioned really well.”
