AINSWORTH’S CHAIRBOYS IN DRIVING SEAT
But Pilgrims’ late show gives hope
Best mate? Tommy Lee, we get on great. But we’re a close-knit group generally. We’ve got a good team spirit and that shows when the team gets out on the pitch. Last to buy dinner? Gary Roberts never seems to have money. He will ask you to go for a coffee and you end up paying. I’m not sure he even does it deliberately, he just never seems to carry cash. The FIFA king? I don’t know about FIFA, but we have a Mario Kart school on the coach. Marc Richards was the star until he left and Sam Hird is good, too. I don’t play anything like that. I don’t think I’ve played on anything newer than the first Playstation to be honest! Worst dressed? Aaron Chapman. Some of the combinations he puts together beggar belief. He’ll come in with a vest on and a gilet. You don’t need to tell him, he just gets a look like “we both know this is not right”. Dressing room DJ? Ollie Banks tends to take charge. I try to put mine on, but only a few of them like it – they’ve got no idea about good music! To be fair to Ollie, I don’t mind what he puts on before a game. If it was up to me it would be something like the Arctic Monkeys, Stone Roses or the Libertines. The most skilful? Jay O’Shea, he could play a piano with his feet. They are so quick and it means he can get himself out of tight situations. Some of the stuff he does in training is amazing. Teacher’s pet? Gary Roberts is popular with the backroom staff, but that is because he’s such a good player for us. He’s a big-game player and won us the league at the end of last season. He’s one of those unique players who can do something the rest of us can’t. Best cook? Jimmy Ryan cooks for some of the lads. They are very complimentary about his culinary skills, though I’m yet to taste any of it. I don’t know if I dare! The worst tattoo? Sam Clucas, but I really cannot say what it is, he would never forgive me. I can tell you it’s an image, but it would not be befitting of the PFA chairman to tell you any more about one of our members! Never puts their phone down? It was Romuald Boco before he left and now it’s Gboly Ariyibi. He’s always on his phone. Though actually a group of us had a coffee recently and I remember looking up and no-one was talking to each other, we were all just looking at our phones. I’m on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat – I do like social media. Partial to a sunbed? Ollie Banks always has a glow about him – even in the darkest of winter months in Chesterfield! Going to make the best manager? Sam Hird has said to me he fancies management. I’ve not seen him coach, but I think he has the right personality to do well. He is unflappable and I think his man-management will be excellent.
LATE goals from substitutes Jason Banton and Zak Ansah handed Plymouth an unlikely foothold in their play-off semi-final after they fought back to keep Wycombe Wanderers within touching distance heading into the second leg.
Wycombe just missed out on automatic promotion by a single point but showed no signs off that affecting them as they raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Paul Hayes, Aaron Holloway and Steven Craig.
Plymouth had failed to test Alex Lynch in the Wycombe goal – standing in for the injured Matt Ingram – until four minutes from time when Ansah fired home a piledriver from 20 yards out.
And it got even better for the home side as moments later fellow sub Banton curled home, Lynch seeing the ball late as the Pilgrims finished in the ascendancy.
Plymouth, embarking on their first play-off campaign since 1996, made a lively start as the returning Lewis Alessandra headed over on six minutes.
However, it was the Chairboys who took the lead four minutes later when Alfie Mawson headed a Joe Jacobson corner straight at Pilgrims goalkeeper Luke McCormick and his effort rebounded into the path of former Pilgrims loanee Hayes who turned the ball home.
Two minutes later Anthony O’Connor fired wide for the hosts at the far post after skipper Curtis Nelson flicked a Bobby Reid corner into his path.
The Chairboys doubled their lead on 22 minutes when Craig brought down a free-kick from Jacobson and teed up Aaron Holloway who blasted home from the edge of the area.
However, the Plymouth players and fans were up in arms as it appeared that Craig had used his arm to control