Plymouth Argyle’s Sky Bet Championship stint may well come to an end next weekend at Home Park, but by no means did Miron Muslic’s side go out without a fight.
Goals from Mustapha Bundu and Callum Wright propelled Argyle to victory against Preston North End in the north of England on Saturday, but with a Luton Town win earlier in the day, even before kick-off, fate was all but sealed.
Even with the upset and disappointment on the minds of all players, staff and fans, the travelling Green Army’s ovation before and after the tie cannot go unspoken.
Head Coach Muslic credited his side’s performance and willingness to continue to fight, despite already knowing the saddening news from earlier in the day.
“When you receive the message just a few minutes before the first whistle of the game that you are relegated, it takes lots of courage and character to get out and to give your all one more time - but we did it,” he told Argyle TV.
“That shows the true spirit of this team and the character of the lads, because we had two obligations today. The first obligation was towards us as a team and staff to give it all and protect and shield each other.
“The second obligation was for the Green Army. 2,000 of them were here today to give it all one more time and they also knew about the result. It shows just the right character.
“I just feel in the end, we ran out of games. We took so many points over the last couple of weeks, and played well and strong but, unfortunately, it was not enough.
“We are all empty and heartbroken. It's a hard hit for Plymouth Argyle. It's a hard hit for us, all the fans, but once you are on the ground, the only opportunity is to get up and to try again. That's the spirit we have.”
Nearly 2,000 fans continuously sang, cheered and celebrated over 90+ minutes at Deepdale. Muslic had nothing but praise for the support the Green Army gave his side in Preston.
He said: “Not only did they believe, but they recognised that we gave it our all until the very end, even though we were out before the game. That's the respect we had to earn from the Green Army. Thank you for that.”
