Early bird Parrott is enough to cheer Cook
IPSWICH manager Paul Cook was delighted to have secured his first win since taking the job at Portman Road.
Troy Parrott’s fourth-minute goal was enough to secure the win for Ipswich and move them into the play-off places with Plymouth dropping down to 16th.
It came when the on-loan Spurs striker seized on a stray pass from Adam Lewis towards Argyle keeper Mike Cooper to register his first goal since joining Town.
Two minutes earlier the Plymouth keeper was called into action when he acrobatically turned over a 25-yard free kick by Alan Judge.
Kelland Watts’ last ditch lunge prevented Parrott from adding a second goal for Town and Judge skied the ball over the bar from 12 yards following a cross from Kayden Jackson.
Joe Edwards snap shot from 30 yards was straight at Ipswich keeper Tomas Holy and Plymouth’s best effort came when Panutche Camara headed narrowly wide.
Cook said: “I thought we started the game well and we had a couple of good chances. We scored early then the game was petering out towards half-time and I felt Plymouth took control of the game second half, but without creating any great chances.
“I thought we were very solid behind the ball and they only had the one header second half which the boy put wide, but I am delighted with the win.
“I thought our flair players had a bit more effect on the game without the chances being converted.”
It was a fourth straight defeat for Plymouth and manager Ryan Lowe said:
“It was a rubbish start really for us. It was disappointing really. I think the back pass was sloppy in the first minutes.
“I thought we could come here and get something out of the game.
“We had some great chances, good possession – they are a good team with some good players and good individuals but sloppy in the first few minutes has cost us a point or three.
“In terms of our effort, desire and commitment they had a good go but it was disappointing early on to concede. I think it knocked the stuffing out of them a little bit but after that I think we grew into the game, but just couldn’t find the equaliser.”
JOHN Sheridan hinted he is set to resign as Swindon Town manager after seeing Gillingham inflict his side’s 22nd defeat of the season.
Brett Pitman had put the Robins in front, but Vadaine Oliver scored twice as three goals in 10 second-half minutes saw the Gills come from behind to plunge Swindon deeper into trouble.
And Sheridan admitted he was now considering his future.
“I’m going to take a look at myself tonight and think about my own position, I’ve picked the wrong team,” he said.
“The performance, the result, everything, it’s a poor, poor day. The club more than anything needs to stay in the division.
“The goals again have come from nothing, the second goal is a calamity and the third’s a deflection which is just our luck.
“I’m not going to blame anyone but myself, I don’t kick the ball but I blame myself – I’m the manager.”
Pitman put Swindon into the lead four minutes before half-time by poking the ball past Jack Bonham after he was assisted by Jordan Lyden.
But Oliver levelled the contest just before the hour mark with a header from one yard out after John Akinde’s nodded effort came back off the underside of the bar.
Four minutes later, Oliver doubled his tally for the afternoon when he seized upon a defensive mix-up, rounded Swindon keeper Connal Trueman and then slotted in from a tight angle.
Gillingham sealed the win 22 minutes from time when Kyle Dempsey’s free-kick took a sizeable deflection which wrong-footed Trueman and rolled into the net.
Not even a late quintuple substitution from Sheridan could change Swindon’s fortunes, with Gillingham manager Steve Evans hailing two-goal hero Oliver.
“Vadaine is on fire. He follows in the first one and almost gets a broken nose and gets patched up afterwards,” he said.
“The second one is striker’s instinct and gives the type of goal we see every day in training. He led the line with real presence.
“The boys were down at half time, it was a case of cajoling them.
“We made some changes. We always knew we would score in the second-half.”
NEWPORT boss Mike Flynn was full of praise for his side after they beat ten-man Morecambe to move up to fourth.
The Exiles took the points with goals from Matty Dolan, Josh Sheehan and Kevin Ellison, but they were helped by Morecambe being reduced to ten men when skipper Sam Lavelle was sent off seven minutes from the break for denying Ryan Taylor a run on goal after Yann Songo’o had levelled things up for the Shrimps with a 20th-minute goal.
After sealing a third straight win Flynn said: “I’m pleased with the three points because I thought we played really well, even when they had 11 men.
“They are a good team at home and I’ve been very impressed with Morecambe this season. They have good, hungry players and been in good form so even with 10 men they were a a threat.
“We are in a good position but there is still a long way to go and there are going to be speed bumps along the way. Teams will go on good runs so we just have to concentrate on ourselves and keep putting pressure on the teams above us.”
The Exiles took the lead with a penalty after only eight minutes when a cross into the Morecambe area seemed to strike an arm and Dolan beat Kyle Letheren from the spot.
The lead lasted only 12 minutes as Morecambe replied with a superb strike from Songo’o. He was left unchallenged 25 yards out and took full advantage to drill a superb effort past Nick Townsend.
As the game swung from end to end Morecambe were reduced to 10 men in the 38th minute when Lavelle was sent off for pulling back Taylor.
Newport made the most of the man advantage when they took the lead again in first-half injury-time as Sheehan cut in from the left and drilled home a fierce shot from 18 yards.
Morecambe pushed for a leveller after the break with Harry Davis forcing Townsend to flick over after an acrobatic overhead kick before the visitors sealed the victory in the 79th minute when Ellison scored against his former club from 12 yards.
Morecambe boss Derek Adams said: “When you give a penalty away and have a man sent off in the first half in a game like this it is always going to be a difficult afternoon.”
FRUSTRATED Jobi McAnuff believes his Leyton Orient side should have beaten Scunthorpe.
The O’s have now failed to win any of their last six home games, although only two have been under McAnuff ’s stewardship since he took over as interim boss following the sacking of Ross Embleton two weeks ago.
But McAnuff isn’t happy.
“Today we missed a trick and didn’t have enough conviction in our play and we were too slow at times,” said McAnuff.
“We definitely didn’t put them under enough pressure and their goal summed that up. We got ourselves back in the game and I felt we could kick on, but it just never really happened, so I am very disappointed.”
Although Orient dominated possession early on, it was the visitors who went in front from their first attack in the 12th minute.
A cross from the left reached Ryan Loft who capitalised on hesitancy in the hosts’ defence to stab the ball home from close range for his eighth league goal of the campaign.
The O’s were back on level terms after 34 minutes when Dan Kemp delivered a set-piece into the box and Ousse Cisse lost his marker to head the ball into the net.
The Iron posed the greater threats after the break.
Jacob Bedeau missed the target from inside the goal area, Loft saw his header palmed away by Lawrence Vigouroux, while Kevin Van Veen stumbled with the goal at his mercy and was unable to apply the necessary touch.
Scunthorpe manager Neil Cox saw his charges squander two excellent opportunities for all three points in the second half, whilst they also had two penalty appeals turned down.
He was also booked by referee Benjamin Speedie for dissent. “I thought it was a battling performance against a good side,” Cox stated.
Regarding his booking, he said: “The decisions not to give us a penalty today and then the decision when their player only got a booking when Gilly [Alex Gilliead] was through and brought down were harsh.
“I don’t think that referees realise that it our jobs we are fighting for. All managers get passionate and if we can’t get passionate as managers and have a go, then it’s pointless us being here at times.”
SOUTHEND boss Mark Molesley is convinced his shotshy side can still stay up despite drawing another blank in the draw with Stevenage.
The second-bottom Shrimpers have now gone five games without a goal.
But Molesley, whose side sit two points behind Barrow having played three games more than their relegation rivals, is still hopeful his side can get out of trouble.
“You can’t hide from our situation or the pressure,” said Molesley.
“You have to stand up and use it as motivation.
“The pleasing thing is we’re putting crosses in and having shots. The more you do that the more chance you’ll score.
“But sadly it was another day where we haven’t made the most of our chances.
“Goalscoring is a confidence thing and the quicker we get one the more I feel we will kick on.
“We just need that goal, but we’re running out of games.
“We’re still chasing and it’s not just Barrow now either. There are a couple of others you can get your sights on, but we need a win and we need one fast.”
Despite their struggles, Southend did start brightly with Simeon Akinola volleying a fine left-wing cross from Reeco Hackett-Fairchild over the crossbar from close range when he should have done better.
Nathan Ferguson then saw an excellent 25-yard free-kick tipped over in fine fashion by Stevenage goalkeeper Jamie Cumming before the visitors started to get back into the game.
Elliot Osborne sent a deflected 20-yard effort inches wide of the left post before Elliott List fired past the right post from the edge of the penalty area.
In reply, Ricky Holmes sent a late volley over the crossbar for the Shrimpers, but Stevenage secured a sixth clean sheet in succession. However, boss Alex Revell was not too pleased with the performance.
“It was probably just one game too many for us,” said Revell.
“It was a struggle to play the game the way we wanted to.
“Away from home you will always take a point and it’s not through a lack of desire we haven’t got more.
“It’s probably the amount of games we’ve had.
“We didn’t start the game well and when you do that you have to up it even more to get into it.”