In the
middle of the winter season, October in fact, Plymouth Argyle will travel to
Hartlepool, their longest away fixture in League Two this season, a round trip
of 775.6 miles.
A result that can go any way for
either team on Saturday, it’s sure to be an exciting encounter for the League
Two squads. The Pilgrims who are placed
in 19th position on 11 points and can move ahead of Hartlepool if they are
victories in the North West. Hartlepool
however are in 16th position and on 12 points.
The pools have made great progress from the start of the season when
they were unable to score and keep a clean-sheet, the team are now three games
unbeaten coming into this fixture with Plymouth Argyle.
Manager John Sheridan and first
team coach Gary Owers will be putting their faith into the players when the two
decide the formation of the game. Last Saturday’s
Dockyard Derby saw Argyle revert to a 3-5-2 formation, having an extra man in
midfield. Having only played the set –up
for part of the game against Swindon the foundation worked very well against
Portsmouth and Argyle deserved a goal. The
ball hit the back of the net in front of the SkySports cameras when Conor
Hourihane gave the Pilgrims a merited lead.
Following an energy to their progression and fight from the Pompey
players Jed Wallace equalised with a well taken goal, with the ball fling past
on rushing goalkeeper Luke McCormick and into the back of the net. The first dockyard derby in more than 20years
finished in a 1-1 draw, a well-deserved point for both teams. Following
Exeter City’s 3-1 demolishing to Argyle two week previously City welcomed
Hartlepool to St James Park last Saturday there second home game in as many
weeks. Goals from Jack Baldwin, Luke
James and Jack Crompton earned the Poole’s all three points and there third victory
in a row.
An Argyle legend to the Green
Army, Simon Walton will compete against the Devon club, for the first time
since leaving the Pilgrims in summer 2012.
Leeds born and breed Walton had a torrid time for the first part of this
contract but fittingly turned that around when it mattered at the lowest point
in the clubs history whilst the club were fighting administration. A leader in the
heart of the midfielder with now captain Conor Hourihane, Walton lead the side
and fought off the threat of a third success victory. Simon Walton left the Pilgrims at the start
of the 2012-13 season of a course of personal reasons. He is now in his second season with
Hartlepool.
Signed by John Sheridan in the
summer of 2012, Marvin Morgan, is to undergo a shoulder operation and will be
out of action for some time. The striker
fell awkwardly in Argyles last victory, a 1-0 win at Home Park against Bristol
Rovers on September 7th. Another
absentee to the Plymouth Argyle squad will be striker Nick Chadwick, the former
Everton players signed on loan to Skrill Conference club Tamworth until January
1st 2014. Chadwick has not played under
Sheridan from the last fixture of last season and has seemly fell out of favour
at Home Park. John Sheridan will also
nurse injuries to Guy Branston and Paul Wotton two very experienced central
defenders who are suffering with slight ankle and back injuries. Manager Colin Cooper will welcome back Steve
Howard from his ban. Midfielders Johnathon
Franks, Anthony Sweeney and defender and Jordan Richards are all pushing for a
place in the starting 11 come 3pm on Saturday afternoon at Victoria Park.
Available: - Jake Cole, Luke McCormick, Curtis
Nelson, Maxime Blanchard, Jamie Richards, Neal Trotman, Durrell Berry, Andre
Blackman, Jamie Reckord, Ben Purrington, Andres Gurrieri, Conor Hourihane,
Romuald Boco, Hamza Bencherif, Luke Young, Ryan Lane, Lewis Alessandra, Reuben Reid, Tyler
Harvey, Isaac Vassell, Paul Hayes
Doubtful: - Guy Branston (knock on the ankle),
Paul Wotton (back injury), Dominic Blizzard (virus)
Unavailable: - Matt LeCointe (knee injury), Marvin
Morgan (require a shoulder operation), Nick Chadwick (on loan at Tamworth until
January)
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