My overall summary of Argyle at the moment? Simply not good enough with the ball in the final third, and Saturday’s defeat at home to Gillingham showed that loud and clear.
A week after the Pilgrims had squandered enough chances to hit Dagenham for six, and just four days after their inability to convert cost them three points at Macclesfield, Argyle did nothing to restore my faith in the side that seemed to score in every game just a few months ago. Had it not been for a truly stunning save by Gillingham’s keeper the result could have been totally different at Home Park in a game which saw the visitors reduced to 10 men fifteen minutes before half time.
The man sent off, Joe Martin, had given his side the lead less than 10 minutes before is dismissal with the best goal I have seen at Home Park this season. Argyle were defending solidly, as has been the case in recent games, but a poor clearance fell to Martin 35 yards out. He took a few touches into space and then lashed the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal. With the sun in keeper Jake Cole’s eyes, it was very hard to say the stopper could have done much about it.
Then Gillingham’s keeper produced as fine a save that you will see anywhere in the football league. With Argyle looking to level the game as soon as possible, Ashley Hemmings ran down the left wing, found space and delivered a cross that Nick Chadwick connected with well. With the ball heading towards the far corner, somehow Gillingham keeper Gazzaniga got a strong hand to it and leapt on the rebound. He knew he had just produced a quality stop as well, he could not hide the smile on his face as he turned towards the Devonport End, and looked at those in attendance holding heads in hands.
Gillingham goal hero Joe Martin then proceeded to get himself sent off for a second yellow card. When Bignot passed him and bore down on the area, Martin stuck out a toe and sent him tumbling. Bignot made the most of the challenge, but he had been prevented a goal scoring opportunity and so the Gillingham defender left the field on the half hour mark, with a goal and a red card to his name.
From that point on Argyle dominated proceedings, but not once did I feel as if they were going to equalise, let alone win the game against a side plagued by injuries and down to ten men. With pretty much all results elsewhere going against us at half time, we knew that the second half could be a huge point in Argyle’s season, but we came up short.
It is no longer our defence that worries the Green Army, it is our attacking players, who seem to have gone missing in recent games. We have now failed to score in three league games in a row at Home Park, and those games include Dagenham who had conceded five in their previous fixture and now Gillingham who shipped four in their last game.
So it’s back to the relegation zone for Plymouth Argyle. And although we are not dead and gone yet, we need a drastic change in fortune. We have 12 games left, 12 huge cup finals. Failure to get the points required from them will mean that instead of playing Accrington and Bradford next season, we will face Alfreton and Barrow. A sobering thought for Argyle fans everywhere.
By Plymouth Argyle blogger Sam Barker
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