Adams joy as Sonny shines at the death

DEREK ADAMS breathed a huge sigh of relief as his gamble paid off and Plymouth moved up to third thanks to a fourth straight win.

The Pilgrims boss used all three of his substitutions with 37 minutes still remaining in a bid to break Cheltenham’s stiff resistance.

And he was rewarded when central defender Sonny Bradley popped up in injury time to head the winner.

Adams beamed: “It was a good victory and we got what we deserved. It was difficult for both teams in the rain but we had more chances than Cheltenham.

“They were soaking up the pressure and we needed to go for the jugular in the second half.

“I took a gamble by making all my changes with 37 minutes still to go. It was definitely a risk but thankfully it paid off.

“That is three clean sheets in the league now and we look like scoring goals.

“Grinding out wins is important although the longer it goes on, the harder it becomes.”

It took until the 20th minute for a shot on target with David Goodwillie bundling a weak effort straight at Robins keeper Russell Griffiths.

Yet the traffic was otherwise flowing in the other direction as the visitors, thanks to their sharp movement and crisp passing, carried the greater threat.

Robins striker Danny Wright swept past Nauris Bulvitis and forced Plymouth keeper Luke McCormick into a smart save at his near post.

Where Cheltenham were the better side in the first half, so Plymouth wrested the initiative after the break.

Goodwillie came close to breaking the deadlock after his fierce effort was pushed around the post by Griffiths.

New signing Paul-Arnold Garita, who arrived on loan from Bristol City on deadline day, brought a diving save out of Griffiths with a hooked effort.

Cheltenham almost nicked it in the 84th minute but Asa Hall’s half-volley came back off the post.

But Plymouth had the final say after Bradley ghosted to the back post to head home Oscar Threlkeld’s cross.

Cheltenham boss Gary Johnson said: “We are very disappointed and frustrated. It is not easy to come to Plymouth but we looked quite solid and did OK.

“We frustrated them in the first half and had a couple of chances which their keeper saved. We hit the post in the second half. But they had that extra bit of quality at the end.”