Left, Right and Centre

The Irishman had only made substitute showings in the Pilgrims’ last two games, nursing a knee problem, but he went the distance at the Kassam Stadium – starting on the right flank before playing much of the second half as a forward. 

“If I’m playing on the wing I enjoy playing on the right,” said Carey. “It gives me more options to cut inside and link up, but it was difficult that we were not on the front foot in the first half.

“The gaffer then put me up front – kind of just to play off of the centre halves, rather than play up against them.”

Carey played up top in the absence of Reuben Reid, who was cruelly ruled out for the game with a hip injury, after some excellent showings in recent games.

“He’s a big miss,” said Graham. “His physical presence, his hold-up play, and his cleverness around the box is a miss to any team. 

“We did our best without him, and we had chances to maybe get something out of the game. Having the best keeper in the league obviously gives us those chances, and we were unlucky with a few chances at the end.”

The Pilgrims drew a rare blank at the Kassam Stadium, but remain top of Sky Bet League 2, and the midfielder thinks the near-four-figure support of the Green Army will continue to play a big part in the club’s bid for promotion.

“I think it’s going to be key for our push to where we want to be this season,” said Graham. 

“The more they can come out and support us, especially away from home when they have to travel and obviously dig deep in their own pockets; as a team we are grateful for them travelling to see us in these games. It’s just unfortunate we couldn’t get a result for them.”