THWART THE ‘BEST TEAM’
PLYMOUTH Argyle boss Derek Adams praised his table-topping side’s grit after they battled their way to victory against Accrington Stanley.
Reuben Reid struck his fourth goal in as many games for the Pilgrims with 25 minutes remaining to seal victory for Argyle, who remain three points ahead of the chasing pack in League Two.
Adams said:“It was another good win and another three points and now we move on to the next game.
“I thought we had a lot of chances for and against and both teams really went for it.
“Luke McCormick’s made a number of good saves and we had a lot of efforts on goal as well.
“You’ve got to be resolute, be able to score goals and keep clean sheets in this league and we’ve done all of that.
“I didn’t have to say too much at half-time, just that we needed to tighten up in midfield as I thought we were being too direct before then and in the second half I thought we passed the ball much better and were far more confident.
“Accrington played very well and showed why they are in the top five but we want to be top, win every game and it is a difficult league but we’ve given ourselves a very good start.”
But Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman believes his side didn’t get their just desserts - and are the ‘best team in the league’.
The Lancastrians dominated large parts of the game and had goalkeeper Luke McCormick to thank for keeping them in the match.
Sean McConville hit the crossbar twice during the 90 minutes while Josh Windass and winger Piero Mingoia caused problems all game for the defence.
However, Argyle dug in and held out for the victory.
“I said to a couple of the lads on the bench just before half-time, when we had that spell when we were all over them, that no matter what the score was, we will be putting a marker down for the rest of the season,” said the Stanley manager.
“I truly believe we are the best team in the league and they, Argyle, are top, but we played better than them and they know it.
“We couldn’t have played any better and sometimes the best team doesn’t always win.
“If we keep playing like that for the rest of the season, we will win the league by 15 points, maybe ten.
“I thought we were streets ahead of them in every department, except maybe finishing, and there seemed to be a forcefield around their goal.
“The way Reuben Reid scored was the only way they were going to do so.
“It was like he was playing Battleships, went on D8 and found a battleship.”
Plenty of chances were created in an electric first half and mainly fell to Stanley, with McCormick having to make world-class saves from efforts to deny Matt Crooks, McConville, who also hit the bar, and Mingoia.
Adams made a couple of changes at half-time to his Argyle side and one of them, Graham Carey, proved pivotal in their eventual win.
He galvanised the Pligrims’ attacking threat and was the supplier of the left-wing free-kick which Stanley failed to clear, allowing Reid to rasp a half-volley into the top corner and put the home side ahead.
Accrington surged forwards, but McConville hit the woodwork again and Windass wasted a golden chance as he sent a shot over.
In the end, it was Plymouth left celebrating another three-point haul, while Coleman’s troops headed back home with pride intact – but pointless.