THE DAILY DIARY

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Also included on the three most recent days, facts from Argyle's history.

Sunday 24th April 2022

Steven Schumacher declared himself proud of a 'warrior like' Argyle team after they secured an unlikely draw at likely champions Wigan to keep themselves in the play-off box seat. He finally looked ahead to the final game of the regular season against Milton Keynes: "I thought it was a really tough game. It's the walking wounded in there at the minute, but the lads are trying their all and have been putting in warrior like shifts recently. We have showed so much commitment throughout the campaign and I can't praise the players enough. I am so proud of them; they deserve to get into the play-offs and we have one more massive cup final to get us in there. In the first half in particular, we were up against and had to defend really well. Wigan started like a house on fire, and we had to dig in. We couldn't play any football really in the first half, they were on top, but we did loads better in the second half. We played with a bit more freedom and had more of a spark. I am pleased with that second half performance and to get a point is a good result.

"It will be a great game. MK Dons was my first game in charge last time and that was a good game of football. It'll be two sides who want to pass the ball, we're going to have to be at it, our fans are going to have to be at it. We're going to need them, they were fantastic again today, they're going to help make it another special day again at Home Park."

Luke Jephcott spoke about his goal at Wigan, his 12th of the season in all competitions. He first focused on the performance of the team in general, saying: "It's a big point for us. Coming here today, to the league leaders, it's a tough place to play. We weren't at our usual standards in the first half, but we went in at half time and said, 'come on, we've got a lot more to give here' I love a tap in, eh? As strikers, you're always told to follow shots in and even if it doesn't come, you're there in the right position. Thankfully, I was there, in the right place at the right time today."

"They had a big crowd in, so did we with our amazing fans, you could feel it was a big game. We're all excited for next weekend because we know its in our own hands. It's been a long old season. Looking at the table, we have 80 points and we're still not guaranteed in the play offs. Next week, in front of a sold-out Home Park, you can't ask for much more."

Argyle goalkeeper Mike Cooper has been named in the 2021/22 official League One team of the season. The 22-year-old has had a remarkable year, keeping 22 clean sheets - with 18 of those coming in the league. On winning the award, Cooper said: "It obviously feels good, I am a bit lost for words really, but I am really happy with the award. It's been a whirlwind year; we've had incredible runs, the FA Cup, times when we've had a dip, but it's been a really successful season. To be able to have done what I have done and kept the amount of clean sheets we have done is testament to the team really and the way we have played all season. They are as much the defenders' clean sheets as they are mine, we bail each other out, we work as a team and are so well organised. I've always been here at Argyle, which I am really happy about. To play every week, to help the team, I am so happy about it and hope to continue to keep doing well and performing for this team."

23rd

Argyle have been left with everything to play for going into matchday 46, after a 1-1 draw away to league leaders Wigan. Argyle took the lead against the run of play in the second half, Luke Jephcott tapping home the rebound from a Conor Grant free-kick. Wigan did equalise nine minutes later and results elsewhere mean that Argyle will go into the final day in the play-off places, but probably needing a win to assure their place in the postseason. Argyle: Cooper, Wilson, Scarr, Gillesphey, Houghton, Sessegnon, Broom, Mayor, Grant, Jephcott (Ennis), Hardie (Garrick). Subs: Burton, Crichlow, Law, Craske, Randell.

21st

Conor Grant has said that the whole squad is desperate to get the job done as Argyle head into their final two games of the regular league season. Looking ahead to the game at Wigan, Grant said: "It's still all to play for and the lads are excited. We are just wanting the games to be here now. We've had a couple of days off to recover from the weekend, they were two tough games for us. It feels like it's dragging a bit now between games, we have four or five days between games but we're all just itching to get out there. Our run in has been as difficult as anyone could have had, we have to rise to the occasion and, to be honest, these are the games you want to be involved in. Everything is riding on these games, the games really matter, and you can see just by looking at the table, how tight it is, how much is at stake. We have to make sure that every game counts and that starts on Saturday. This is a new situation for me, but I am embracing it and thriving from it. For us, we need to focus on ourselves, it's a big game for us and we need to win or at least get a point to stay in it. We don't know how the other games are going to go so we need to just focus on ourselves. You're well aware of the other results and what everyone else is doing, but we have to try and treat the next two games as normal games, do what we have been doing, execute the game plan and get on with it."

"We've come to expect the fans and the numbers and noise they make. I think they have bought into us, and we have bought into them, we're riding a wave really and I am sure that the next two games will be crazy. We need that support; we thrive off it and we need to make sure that counts. We want to perform and show them we're a good team. I think we've done that, we have performed and we just have to keep on doing that."

19th

Steven Schumacher was pleased with his Argyle side's response to the 0-0 draw with Sunderland, despite the fact that he feels his side could have been more clinical in front of goal. He said, of the general improvement: "It was a close game, a good game especially first half with a lot of nice football. We created some good opportunities and just messed up on the final pass or final attempt. It looked as if one chance was going to win it in the second half and it became tighter and unfortunately, we didn't get that killer goal. Our defensive shape was good once again and that enabled us to break and go and try to attack – we just needed a little bit of extra care. I was never too concerned we weren't going to get a reaction and the lads showed the effort that they always do. Wycombe was a tough game, but I knew that back here on our pitch and in front of our supporters we are a match for anyone. We've got two huge games to go, it's all to play for and it's so tight. All four of us fighting to try and get into that play off mix are playing well and we're still in there and fighting."

Ryan Hardie returned to the side following a lay off of more than three weeks and told fans about his road to recovery and race against the clock to regain fitness. Hardie explained: "It's been a long road and was great to get back out on the pitch. I had a header and Niall had a chance and we just have to be more clinical in those positions. I felt like we could have ended that first half in the lead, we have to be a bit more clinical. I've been working hard and to be honest, I didn't think I'd ever see the day when I'm in the gym at nine o'clock at night on a Saturday. I just want to be playing the games and helping the lads. I worked tirelessly when I was injured, and I did a lot of extra work and things I don't normally do. I went into training for the first time yesterday so today was a bit tough but I'm happy to be back and am glad we're still in the fight. It's all about recovering now and trying to be at my best for Saturday. Today is a point in the right direction. In the second half, Sunderland came out on top, but we didn't crumble, it's a point against a big club and a side around us. Every game is a massive game for us, and it's been like that for most of the season. It's now more than ever that we need to produce and get the wins and what better time to do that than against a side top of the table who are wanting to win the league."

18th

Argyle had their first 0-0 draw at Home Park of the season with the crucial game against Sunderland proving a stalemate that did not secure the play-off hopes of either side. Both sides probed but neither found an opening and Argyle's push moves onto their final away game of the season at Wigan Athletic. Argyle: Cooper, Wilson, Scarr, Gillesphey, Houghton, Sessegnon, Camara (Randell), Mayor, Grant, Hardie (Garrick), Ennis (Jephcott). Subs: Burton, Crichlow, Law, Broom.

17th

Steven Schumacher previewed a 'huge' game against Sunderland on Easter Monday, in which Argyle would all but book their place in the play-offs with a win but may risk dropping out of the top six with a loss. The game is expected to be played in front of a full Home Park. Schumacher said: "It's going to be huge; it was always going to be a big game anyway. We have to go out and try and win the game, we need to put in a better performance than on Friday and compete better. We know how important it is to get a result and we will do our best to try and do that. The fans that turned up on Friday were fantastic and they will be again on Monday. They have been terrific for us at home this season and make it an intimidating atmosphere and the players are looking forward to putting things right."

16th

Steven Schumacher gave a brutal and honest appraisal of Argyle's 2-0 loss at Wycombe, demanding a much better performance in the next game. Schumacher assessed: "It was rubbish. The first half in particular, we didn't compete, didn't win any second balls, didn't win any first contacts, they were all over us. We conceded two poor goals and were overpowered by them. There aren't many surprises when you play Wycombe. You know how they're going to play and so you have to match it – we didn't. Today we got beaten by a side that were physically stronger and a side who wanted it more than us."

"Every time we have had a performance that has been below standard, and there hasn't been many of them, we always have a good reaction. Against Sunderland on Monday is going to be tough because they're a good team and are fighting for it. But we have to get the basics right and we have to react. The players are honest, they try every week and I wouldn't question the players effort, I just felt that we didn't stand up to Wycombe. Look, there hasn't been may occasions that we have played like that, that's why we are where we are in the league. 1800 fans have come here, to watch us again and they don't deserve a performance like that. The game against Sunderland was always huge, we have to go there and get the win. We have to compete and have a go."

Ryan Broom was also critical of his own team's performance but positively stressed the importance of bouncing back, and had faith in his team to do so. Broom said: "That support we get is unbelievable. It was a tough game and the performance can obviously be better. We know they'll be there on Monday as well, but we have to make sure we can't take that for granted. We have to put today right. We have a bit of a history of bouncing back," he said. Sometimes games don't go your way and we will be doing everything we can to put it right on Monday. We have played some brilliant stuff this season and we need to get back to that. Me and Niall were told to up the energy, try and put ourselves around as much as possible and try and get a foothold in the game. I thought I had a positive impact, and the second half was slightly better but we need a better performance. We are looking forward to Sunderland now, we have a great opportunity and we have to show everyone what were made of."

15th

A pair of first half strikes were enough for Argyle to succumb to a 2-0 loss to Wycombe on Good Friday, marking a frustrating start to Easter weekend. Both goals came early in the game and Wycombe were able to see out the game in the second half. Argyle: Cooper, Wilson, Scarr, Gillesphey, Houghton (Randell), Sessegnon, Camara, Mayor (Broom), Grant, Jephcott, Garrick (Ennis). Subs: Burton, Crichlow, Law, Craske.

12th

Jordan Houghton looked ahead to the last four games of the season with excitement, admitting that the sight of fans queueing for tickets outside the stadium is inspiring to see. Houghton raved: "It's huge. I spoke about it when I came here in the summer and in a lot of interviews since. The backing they give us is that extra incentive to keep going and I think they've been a massive part in what we have done this season. It's good for the lads and the staff to drive past that. Our car park is just outside, and we need to drive past the ticket office and see them all queueing. At the start of the season you might have looked at other sides and the budgets and squads and think that we wouldn't have a chance of promotion, but inside the squad we always had that belief. It's exciting, it's where you want to be and it's definitely the sort of place every player wants to be at this stage of the season. We've had a good season, but we want to make it a great season. If we don't make the play offs, it won't even be a good season now. A lot of people had questions about the run in, would you rather play the teams at the bottom or teams at the top? We've got teams at the top and to get promotion you have to beat those teams, it's not easy to get promoted. We have to play them at some point in the season and we're in a good place at the moment so it's tough for us yes, but it's going to be tough for them as well. It's obviously a nice feeling to win games and not concede but that has become a minimum requirement for us now. If you can keep a clean sheet, it gives you the perfect foundation to go out and get the win. A lot of the credit has to go to the coaching staff; they make sure everyone knows what they have to do. It might come down to a tight game at the end of the season and when everyone knows exactly what to do and when to do it, it will hold us in good stead."

10th

Steven Schumacher declared himself frustrated with Argyle's 0-0 draw at Burton Albion, claiming we had 'a perfectly good goal' ruled out in the early stages. The manager said: "It shouldn't have been a 0-0. We felt we scored a perfectly good goal in the first minute. It was a lovely ball in by Houghton, Joe Edwards heads it and James Wilson is stood right there and can see it's over the line. It looks like the lad is in the goal and has cleared it backwards, so for me, that should have stood. We knew it was never going to be free flowing, it's not the style they play, and the pitch didn't allow us to do it. We knew that chances would be at a minimum and we knew we'd have to be good from set pieces. That game was always going to be decided by fine margins and that's why I am frustrated, the fine margin in the game, didn't go our way. I thought we did ok, we stood up to them and dealt with everything they threw at us brilliantly. They're really good from set pieces, second in the league in terms of scoring from set plays, so we dealt with that well, I lost count of the amount of times the lads headed away long throws.

"It was a very good defensive performance, it's another clean sheet, which is a nice bonus. We didn't give too many chances away in the game and it was a solid display. It's another point for us, were up to 78 points now which is an incredible number. We have four massive games to come now, and we'll need a couple more results to secure a play off spot. We come out of today with that clean sheet which is pleasing but we have to move on and look at Wycombe now. You could hear the fans signing right from kick off and they stayed behind to show their appreciation to the players. It's unfortunate we didn't get that goal for them to celebrate, but we will try hard to make sure we do on Friday."

James Wilson was also pleased by the clean sheet, and heaped praise on goalkeeper Mike Cooper behind him, enthusing: "We're proud of the defensive record, the credit has to go to the whole team though, not just the defenders. It helps that we have Michael Cooper behind us because he is different class, he's so good. Also, the information the gaffer and the coaches give us makes it easier for us to go out and perform - thankfully we are doing well at the moment.

"I think most other seasons, 78 points would be enough to get into the play offs and I think that just shows the quality of the top teams in the league. We need to have a couple more results and we want to play well, so are really looking forward to the next four games. We did have a couple of decent chances today and, I think, are probably quite unlucky not to win the game. It felt like a home game to be honest. The fans have been incredible and have been with us the whole way. We are going to need them for the next few matches."

9th

For the first time in 42 games, Argyle have been involved in a goalless draw in League One, gaining a point at Burton. The game's biggest incident came in the first 90 seconds when Joe Edwards had a header cleared off the line and some Argyle fans wanted a goal but it wasn't to be. Other results mean that Argyle retain a healthy distance over 7th place. Argyle: M Cooper, Wilson, Scarr, Gillesphey, Houghton, Edwards, Camara, Mayor, Law (Grant), Ennis (Broom), Garrick (Jephcott). Subs: Burton, Crichlow, Randell, Sessegnon.

8th

Steven Schumacher has been named the League One Manager of the Month for March. It was an incredible month for the Greens, who won six of their seven matches conceding just one goal. Schumacher however was keen to ensure that praise was spread equally among the coaching staff, saying: "I am really proud to have been named Manager of the Month for Sky Bet League One. We have had a terrific month and put ourselves in a really good position for the rest of the season. The work from all of the staff, the players and everyone associated with the club has made an impact and has helped us perform the way we have been. I have the support of Keith Downing, Mark Hughes and Kevin Nancekivell as well as Darren Behcet with the coaching of the side. We all work extremely closely with the analysts, Jimmy Dickinson and Sam Morcom, who provide us with all the information we need to be able to put a game plan together for a match-day. It has been a real team effort and everyone deserves to be recognised. We are in a good spot and are working hard to make sure we can continue this good form going forward into the final month of the season and try to achieve something special."

Ahead of the next game against Burton, Schumacher urged caution against complacency, in light of the differing form of the two sides. He explained: "They're not in great form, they're a bit patchy, but on their day, they're strong and powerful. It's always a tough game when you go to their stadium. It's not an easy pitch to play on. It'll be another hard game. I'm not really bothered about their form in general because as this league has proved, anyone can beat anyone on their day. We have to focus on the job and go and give it our best shot, and hopefully come away with another good result. We know we have real tough games which is probably a blessing because you can't get distracted thinking 'this one's going to be easy', all five of them are going to be tough. We won't do anything extra over the next five games, we'll prepare as usual. I think it's the best way if we're consistent with our behaviours as a coaching staff, we're not going to overanalyse anyone, we're not going to add pressure to the games because the pressure is already there. If we're calm and try ad work as usual, then hopefully the players can stay calm and won't make too many mistakes and keep picking up good results."

7th

Jordan Garrick expressed his delight at being part of a successful Argyle team, playing more minutes in the season than he ever has in football before. The forward said: "I had played a part in 40 games of football in the last two years. This season I've already played 40 so personally, that's a massive achievement. For me, it's been fantastic, this season will go down as one of my best. The competition for places is tough. As a player, you're frustrated when you're left out. I've never been in a team where a whole 11 could be playing over the starting 11. You can't say anything though, look how well the team has done since the turn of the year, how many points we've picked up, how many goals we've scored. It gives the manager a good headache. He knows he can trust the players. Lawsy came in and hadn't played in a while; he was a potential man of the match last Saturday. I feel confident every game we go in we can win."

"You have to give a lot of credit to the staff, hats off to them, they make sure we're prepared for every game of football. It's a credit to the players too, how they train and live. It's a credit to the staff with the sessions they put on, everyone's giving 100 percent Keith Downing, Darren Behcet, the medical staff, everything all rolled into one. It's fantastic here. As long as our core group of players, staff and fans stick together, know how good we are and work toward what we want to achieve, I don't think anything else matters. I think we should keep doing what we are doing silently, then we can have the loudest laugh at the end."

3rd

Steven Schumacher reacted with sheer jubilation to Argyle's 1-0 win over Oxford that leaves the greens with one foot over the line in the League One play-off race. The gaffer reflected on the game happily, saying: "That was very nice. I am super proud of the boys. It was a tough game. Oxford are the leading scorers in the division, they've got unbelievable talent in their forward line and create some unbelievable chances. We needed our 'keeper once again to make an unbelievable save in the first half. We had Steven Sessegnon fail a fitness test this morning, we had Alfie Lewis have a reoccurrence of his thigh injury. We didn't let that faze us and it shows the character of the boys that they just get on with it. We phoned Lawsy this morning to say he was going to play. Hs was ready and performed brilliantly. Dan Scarr looked great, apart from a minute at the start of the game when he stood on the ball. I could go through so many of them today, James Wilson, Dan Scarr, Panutche were all flawless – different class. Everyone is confident, we're in a good spot, made up with the win but grounded as well because we have another game next week to focus on."

"The games are getting ticked off and thankfully we are still picking up points, as are others. We're not too far away from the sides in front of us, we have a bit of a gap to the sides below us, so we'll just keep going."

Dan Scarr made his return to the side after nearly two months out injured. He spoke about his pleasure upon keeping a clean sheet before finally pouring praise on goalkeeper Mike Cooper for a wonderful save he made at 0-0 in the game. Scarr explained: "It was a good game and great to be back. It was two good teams fighting at the top but was so good to come away with the three points. I feel alright now, I don't know about tomorrow. Adrenaline gets you through the first one, doesn't it? Although it was a tough game, I thought our shape was good, so I didn't really have to do a lot. It's been a frustrating time. I love supporting the lads but it's hard to watch because you want to be playing, want to be part of it. There is something special happening. There is always going to be times in a season when people are out but whoever comes in is always ready and I think that's why we've done so well. I was just keen to get back, not even to play, but just to be about and help the boys, gee them up. In other sides when there is someone who plays in your position and doing well, I have seen times when you might not wish them as well, but you don't have a good team doing that. Here, when I was injured and Bolts was doing well, I was grabbing him and telling he was doing so well and he'll do the same with me."

On Cooper, he added: "He's unbelievable, I don't know how he does it. There will be times when he has to be called upon, whether that be us losing concentration or other teams opening us up, but he always seems to be there. To be 22 and to have played as many games as he has done and to play that well is incredible. He's only going to get better as well. He's a top cat."

2nd

Argyle took a giant step towards securing a place in the League One play-offs, returning to winning ways with a 1-0 victory against contenders Oxford United. The game was even and cagey and it took a fine finish from Argyle's captain fantastic Joe Edwards to be the difference between the two sides. The greens have opened up a clear gap on the chasing pack going into the final 5 games. Argyle: M Cooper, Wilson, Scarr, Gillesphey, Houghton, Edwards, Camara (Broom), Mayor (Randell), Law, Ennis, Garrick (Jephcott). Subs: Burton, Crichlow, Halls, Issaka.

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