After the non show at York on Monday I think a fair few went to Home Park today full of trepidation. Argyle were not in the game at York and Cheltenham were 4th in the league and had been going quite well. When the teams came out, I didn't see the warm up, they looked a big side and to be fair Argyle have struggled against big sides all season. Kind of get bullied out of it. The first half was quite a non event from both teams if I'm honest. A couple of chances with Argyle defending easily for a good part of it. We had our own chances but nobody looked like they were on top particularly and the game was a sort of stalemate. Ref looked a bit on the picky side blowing for very little at times. But, they weathered and we weathered anything that was thrown at the opposition and it was 0 - 0 we thought. A shot came in from Bryan I think which was parried by their keeper. Reid followed up and after a bit of a scrambled pocked the ball home for the lead for us. So it was 1 - 0 to us at halftime. Second half arrived an it was much the same. We were a bit weak in midfield and were missing the influence of Cox and Hourihane. It was another half of 50 - 50 for me although they stepped it up a bit and perhaps were looking like they might poke one in. Especially on long throws and corners given their height advantage. Branston was magnificent in the middle of defence today. He won virtually everything thrown at us either by heading or putting his foot through the ball. Bahsera was on form as well and it was a toss up for me which one was MOM. Anyway, Banton our supposed saviour in the making had a mare. Was not involved in anything startling all match. Had a couple of shots he blasted way off target and should have passed several times but didn't wasting chances we might have had. I forgive him given the goals he has scored. At 1 - 0 it was always tough going. However Bahsera got the ball out wide and went for the bye line and then cut inside along the line having left his marker for dead. He banged the ball back for any oncoming Argyle shirt. The ball hit one of theirs instead and it went in for a 2 - 0 lead. After that there was a few chances where we should have gone 3 up but I don't think the result was ever in doubt. The Ref continued to be a prick and was not good for the game. Should have sent one of theirs off for violent conduct but decided to yellow him instead. Totally missed one of theirs going right through Cole and didn't even give anything when it was so blatantly a foul and a card at least. When I say went through I really mean at full pelt. Overall a decent enough performance from Argyle and they thoroughly deserved their points. We are now up to 18th which almost seems dizzy heights this season. On the down side one bad result and the others going the wrong way and we are right back in the mix again. We can only win matches and it is in our hands now well and truly which is good. Slightly more confident than before but I still think we need one more win minimum before we can breath out. Well done the team with so many normal first choices out.
Thanks for that sensible..........their manager said after the game that Reuban Reid had bullied his central defenders........meaning that he played well against them and had one of his best games for us......plus a goal of course.
He gave them as good as he got plym which is more than can be said for Banton. Banton infuriates me but he has shown he can score. Maybe this is why he is on loan to a 4th tier club because of the other side to his game. He just doesn't challenge. In fact he pulls out from challenging a lot of the time. Give him the ball and he has only one thing on his mind and that is how he and only he can put a shot in. He is also quite lazy and not a player with bags of stamina. But he scores. Reid puts in a shift and a half every game. But he doesn't score often enough. If you could combine the two then that would be some player. Don't be fooled by the foul count against Argyle today. Cheltenham did their fair share of fouling but somehow the Ref didn't give fouls for the exact same thing he gave them against. Absolutely no consistency in his decisions. I actually thought some of the Cheltenham players went in deliberately at times and by that I mean with the intention to hurt. Quite unneccessary some of it and the shock is only one yellow all afternoon which should according to the rule book have been red.
Thanks for your report Sensible..my West Ham visitors go back on Wed. they sure know more about Div.2 than before..
ROFL only us Janners could get on Bantons back.. rest of the real world he would have a key to the City. Although the feedback I am getting Sens is exactly the same as u. One of the best comments I heard so far was Bantons new chant should be " Are u Tynan with a tan?" Personally I hope he is, we have been sorely lacking a crap, do nothing but score centre forward for a longtime.
That's a slightly bleaker impression of it than I got from elsewhere Sensible: I think I'm right in saying we hit the woodwork twice and a few other chances, very solid at the back through Branston, Bhasera unpassable and unstoppable and Bryan giving a very good account of himself. Plus, may I say, nearly 8,000 to see it, excellent given our league position. 1,000 of the 1,800 tickets for Burton already sold - let's hope it's one of those magic Argyle away-days of old. [Yes, I'm beginning to think we'll scrape to safety - 24 points out of the 45 is just off the play-offs form over a whole season].
Just opinion notidstant which is all we can have which is our own. Not saying it was a bad performance by a long shot but it wasn't a great match particularly. Comfortable day at the office is what I would call it. Defence were strong which I more or less said. Yes there were chances and hitting a post but apart from the one that Reid put away the rebound the other I remember was never going in. Very good 3 points considering the position of Cheltenham in the league.
I'm trying not to get carried away Sensible, but a "comfortable" 2-0 win against the team placed 4th is definitely a step in the right direction! We'll need to keep it going, Burton & Chesterfield away and Rotherham at home isn't the easiest run in.
Lets be honest, the only poor performance recently has been against York. Yes York who at the time were 24th. The complaint was that we did badly against the top half of the table previously this season. However, we have beaten Southend away, Fleetwood, Exeter and now Cheltenham at home. That is a complete reversal of how it was going so for me it doesn't matter who we are playing either home or away. We have a chance on current form with all of them. We could just as easily end up with nothing more to show but I am now leaning slightly, only just mind, towards one more result at least. Time will tell. The others won't have many easier games either because when you are down the bottom end life is just like that. Torquay have Barnet as one example where they can't both get 3 points. They only have 2 others to get something. Whoever loses that one will be worried. If they draw then that would be ok as well.
