They say a week is a long time in politics. Six weeks in football has been an eternity for Plymouth Argyle.
Not, in general, a good version of eternity either. Six weeks ago was Argyle’s last home game, and they lost it 2-1, to AFC Wimbledon. That was not a good thing, but it came after a run where Argyle had won five in six in all competitions, so no panic buttons were being hit at that stage.
However, Argyle’s enforced mini-tour did not go well. A cataclysmic defeat at Exeter City started it, losses at Mansfield Town, Wycombe Wanderers and Huddersfield Town exacerbated it, and a 1-0 last-minute loss at Bristol Rovers in the Vertu Trophy was a general irritant.
Five away defeats in succession, six losses in a row all round, left all with green sensitivities feeling more than a little down. However, a good, old-fashioned, result-is-the-most-important-thing win at Port Vale last weekend has reminded us all – most importantly the Argyle players and staff - of that winning feeling.
Finally, the Pilgrims return to Home Park, looking to build upon the Vale Park building block with a game against Northampton Town.
Of the gap in home fixtures, Argyle Head Coach Tom Cleverley said: “It’s unheard of, really. A very unique situation where not only are you away from home for six weeks, but you play six away games on the trot. We have to show that we’ve missed it in the first 10–15 minutes. We need to look like we’ve craved coming back here — the intensity, the tempo, the challenges, the duels. We’ll prepare the players to do that, and we’re really looking forward to being back in front of our supporters, on home turf.
“Even more so, because our away form hasn’t been good enough. We put that somewhat right last weekend, and it was good to grow a bit of confidence before returning home.
“It’s a place we haven’t taken full advantage of this season, but I’ve no doubt that will come good. Historically, Home Park has been a really strong source of points for us. I’m looking forward to being back.”
Northampton are 17th in Sky Bet League One, with a mixed record under Kevin Nolan. Most recently, they lost 3-1 at Cardiff City, but Cleverley watched that game and rated Town’s performance. However, he wants his players to focus on themselves as they look to overcome their opponents.
“I expect a Kevin Nolan team,” Cleverley told Argyle TV. “They’re one of the more unpredictable sides, and I don’t mean that negatively. They’re well coached, adaptable, and have threats like [Ethan] Wheatley.
“Last week, they played two strikers and a number 10; lots of attacking numbers in midfield. I thought they were excellent against Cardiff. They passed through the lines, controlled the game with possession, and created enough to win. A bit unlucky, really.
“In previous weeks they’ve been more direct, exploited channels, and they’ve played three different systems in the last three games. They are hard to predict, so our focus has been on ourselves.
“Structurally, we need the same discipline we showed last week in reducing chances against us. We’ve worked on being more productive going forward, getting our wide attacking players in better situations more often.
“We’ve also gone back to our attacking set-plays. Six games ago, we were one of the best in the league, but we haven’t scored from one since the long throw at Burton. We want to believe we can score from every one again.
“Usually you’d say: ‘Let’s train how we play’, but this weekend I’ll be saying: ‘Go and play how you’ve trained”, because the intensity levels have been excellent.”
