New Argyle boss admits selection error and bemoans ‘fine margins’

Plymouth Argyle boss Steven Schumacher bemoaned his side's slow start at the Stadium of Light as he fell to his first defeat as a manager.

Schumacher was formerly assistant to Ryan Lowe, who left at the start of the week to join Preston North End.

The Pilgrims drew 1-1 with MK Dons in midweek, but were comprehensively outplayed in the first half.

The second period represented improvement, and Shumacher insisted he felt his side’s performances were not far off where they needed to be, despite a run of four defeats in five games.

Poor defending cost them dearly in the opening stages, which will be a key focus moving forward for the new boss.

"It wasn't a great start, obviously," Schumacher said. "We're disappointed to have given them a 2-0 head start, it's a tough enough game here at the best of times.

"They scored from a wellworked corner routine and sometimes you have to hold your hand up and say fair play, it was clever and inventive.

"The second goal we’re disappointed with, because we felt it was too easy. For the rest of the half we hung in. We were under pressure even though we had a lot of the ball, they looked the more likely.

"Second half we got closer to them, won more second balls, had more of a threat. On another day, one of the little half chances we had might go in and you’ve fought back and got something out the game.

“We’re not too far away from what we want to see from our team, we’re just lacking a little bit of quality at the moment. Defensively, we’re not performing quite as well as we were earlier in the season, but it's fine margins.”

The Plymouth Argyle boss admitted he had been left with one selection regret, after Leon Dajaku’s superb firsthalf display.

Having been unable to select regular wing-back Conor Grant due to a minor injury, Schumacher opted to move Ryan Broom into the role.

But after the second goal down that flank he switched with Joe Edwards; his side looking more solid thereafter.

Lynden Gooch's superb attacking display against Morecambe in midweek had been one of the key factors in that initial decision, but the American had a more restrained role this time around as Dajaku regularly broke forward.

“That's probably one in hindsight where I maybe got that wrong,” Schumacher said. “We swapped them over and we did look more solid.”