Lowe likes what he sees as Pilgrims prevail again
MANAGER Ryan Lowe thought Plymouth Argyle were in control from start to finish of their 1-0 League One win against Fleetwood Town at Home Park on Saturday.
The margin of victory was only a slender one, and came as a result of an 11th-minute own goal from Fleetwood’s 20-year-old defender Harrison Holgate, but the Pilgrims kept a third clean-sheet in their last five games as they limited the visitors to two on-target goal attempts.
Argyle needed a goal-saving tackle from midfielder Tyrese Fornah late in the first half, when it looked like Callum Camps was about to score, but Lowe saw his side finish the game strongly and they created a number of good scoring chances.
While they were unable to convert any of them, their strong defending meant that goalkeeper Mike Cooper was relatively untroubled. Lowe said: “It was a very good game on our behalf. I thought we played some fantastic stuff.
“I thought we were well in control of the game from start to finish. We created a lot of chances, we just didn’t put away the ones I would have liked to have gone in. On another day you score three or four but, ultimately, it’s about the points.”
Holgate conceded his own goal as he attempted to put behind a low cross from right wing-back Byron
Moore. With Argyle striker Niall Ennis ready to pounce, Holgate had to take action but, instead of sending the ball out for a corner, it went into the Fleetwood net.
Moore retained his place in Argyle’s starting line-up despite the return to fitness of Joe Edwards after a knee injury. Lowe said: “We want balls in the box from our wing-backs. That’s what Joe does and it’s what Byron gives us.
“Conor [Grant] has been doing that, and you saw Adam [Lewis] towards the end. The desire to get in those areas, to put the ball on a plate for our lads, that’s how we play,” he added. “It went in off their lad, but maybe someone was there to tap it in anyway.”
A 5-1 defeat for Argyle at Fleetwood in mid-November was the start of a sequence which saw them lose six successive league games. However, they have turned around their fortunes by picking up 18 points out of a possible 24 during an unbeaten start to 2021.
Lowe said: “They [his squad] are a terrific bunch, I must say. They are a good set of lads. They work ever so hard, on and off the ball, as you’ve seen. It was fantastic. Training is a pleasure to watch, sometimes.”
Liverpool loan signing Lewis came off the bench in the 71st minute to play at left wing-back.
Lewis replaced Panutche Camara, with Conor Grant moving into central midfield, shortly after Fleetwood sent on midfielder Sam Finley as a substitute.
Lowe said: “We wanted a little more legs down the side because Conor works ever so hard. We just wanted to shore it up a little bit.
“They [Fleetwood] brought somebody on who is a good player. He started to spray a few balls about, and what we didn’t want was Panutche running forward and they get in. So we got Conor in there, and a bit more down the left-hand side with Adam. Panutche is fine, it was just a tactical change, really.”
Fleetwood’s two strikers, Paddy Madden and Kyle Vassell, linked up well at times, but Argyle’s defence kept them at bay.
Lowe added: “We knew they were going to be a threat, all over the park, really, even the players coming on the pitch, but we nullified that and I thought it was quite comfortable.
“Credit to the lads. We told them what they were coming up against and they have executed the gameplan well.”
Argyle do not have a fixture in midweek, so they are not in action again until they travel to Rochdale next Saturday.
Lowe added: “We can rest and recover the lads now. We will give them a little bit of time. They will do the right things, get the right fluids in, and so on and so forth.
“It’s now about the next one. We won’t get too carried away. It’s another three points in the right direction.”