Western Morning News (Saturday)
Make no mistake, errors are costing Argyle dear
RYAN Lowe has called on his Plymouth Argyle players to cut out the individual errors that have been proving so costly for them recently.
The Pilgrims have lost their last two League One games 3-0, first at Shrewsbury Town on Easter Monday and then against table-topping Hull City at Home Park on Saturday.
Argyle gifted the opposition goals in both of those games, while drawing a blank with their own scoring chances.
Those two results have left the Pilgrims in 16th position with five games of the season still to play, starting today away to 17th-placed Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium.
Lowe said: “I hate losing, but I don’t mind losing to the better team. If we are beaten fair and square, I will hold my hands up.
“I think the last two games, at Shrewsbury we were well in the game for 52 minutes and then we beat ourselves.
“On Saturday we were up against a good team in Hull, who are probably going to go and win the league, let’s have it right.
“I was on my Pro Licence course with Cliff Byrne (Hull’s assistant boss) for two days this week up at St George’s Park and we were talking about it.
“We were well in the game until individual errors cost us, and that’s what you have got to get out of your game.
“If you eradicate them then you become a good team. If you knock the mistakes on the head then you can beat anyone in the league, as proven.
Another area that Lowe wants to see an improvement from Argyle in is getting more goals from corners and free-kicks.
He said: “We are not really great at set plays. We work ever so hard on them and we don’t seem to score many from them.
“There is stuff that we need to try and make sure we are better at.
“We put the work into the group, and they know it’s having that bravery and desire to go and put your head on something.”
It seems unlikely that either defender Sam Woods or the versatile
Conor Grant will return to action for Argyle against Burton.
Woods, on loan from Crystal Palace, has missed the last two matches due to a hamstring strain.
Grant, meanwhile, was ruled out of the defeat against Hull by a groin injury.
Burton were bottom of the table when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was appointed manager at the start of January for a second spell at the Staffordshire club.
He has turned around their fortunes since then, leading them to a record of 12 wins, four draws and five defeats. No team in the division has a better points per game record in the time Hasselbaink has been at Burton this season.
Lowe said: “Fair play to them, he has gone in and galvanised the group, and added a lot as well.
“They had a turnover of players. Credit where credit is due, they have done an outstanding job so far.”