Argyle’s 1-1 draw at Bradford City means that the Greens now face an uphill struggle to reach the Sky Bet League One play-offs – but it is not impossible, and Head Coach Tom Cleverley is refusing to be beaten just yet.
Argyle are now four points outside of the top six, following a draw with the Bantams that saw Brendan Wiredu put Argyle in front, only for Will Swan to equalise in the second half. Bradford, with an inferior goal difference, are six points ahead, and Stockport County are catchable too, even though they do still have three games remaining.
The message from Tom, and all in green, is clear: we know it will be hard, but we fight until it is impossible.
“I think in general you'd be really pleased with, and proud of, that performance,” said Tom, to Argyle TV, reflecting on a draw against the team with the second-best home record in the division. “The way that our supporters clapped us off, I think they were too. Coming here is not easy. For the last two years now, they're really riding a wave here of trying to put teams under pressure. They're a really physical team, excellent in duels, and I thought we dealt with the challenge really well.
“I thought defensively we were outstanding, and then one action of the game, that was probably four or five [cost us]. I thought Daley (Owen Dale) should have played it in the channel, Tolly (Lorent Tolaj) miscontrols it, then we get behind the ball, Mitch (Alex Mitchell) makes a good clearance, and then Ronan [Curtis] and Wes [Harding] let him inside the pitch too easy. Conor [Hazard] will maybe feel like he can do a little bit better. So four or five micro mistakes led to an opening for them, when they looked like not breaking us down at all.
“From there, only one team tried winning the game. They were slowing it down and they looked happy with a draw - rightly so. That puts them six points above us.
“I'm proud of the players. Could we have showed a bit more quality in some openings? Yes, we were guilty of it at the weekend, but the application and the competitive nature of the group is second to none.
“I'll see it as an opportunity missed for the next hour or so. But once I get back in the car this evening, then I'll be fully focused on picking these lads up because they're disappointed and rightly so. They feel like they've drawn a game they should have won.
“Stockport, Bradford, Luton, Stevenage are all catchable. Until they're not, there'll be no-one on the front foot more than me than making sure we do our best to make sure we do our job.
“Some of those players, very young players that may not have seen how weird and wonderful football can be, and how when you think you're dead and buried, you end up achieving something.
“Strange things in football happen, and a lot stranger than us making four points on Stockport or Stevenage, or six points on Bradford who have got two tough games still to come. We're still in this. We've got a real live chance, but we have to focus on making sure we do our job.”
