Why We Do It

WHEN David Fox was signing another Argyle contract, he was thinking of Walsall.

Well, not necessarily the Banks’s Stadium specifically, but the opening day of the season, and the large Green Army following that will be backing David and his Pilgrim colleagues from first whistle to last.

Argyle look to start their season with more impetus that last season’s campaign. In 2017-18, despite playing well, we opened with a defeat at Peterborough, then found it hard to get rolling. It took a late surge, from bottom to seventh, from December to May, to salvage the season.

David cannot wait to get back in the saddle, against the Saddlers. Asked why he signed on for another year at Argyle, he said simply: “For days like Saturday – that was the main reason. We are taking a big following to the game. The buzz of playing in front of that sort of support. The two years I have had I have enjoyed, it has gone great for me personally.

“It doesn’t seem long since we were trudging off at Gillingham.

“I’m excited. Hopefully I’m starting in the team, and there will be a few nerves and butterflies, but ultimately I am excited about what the season can bring. We want a good performance and a good result. We played really well on the opening day last year, but got no points.

“It’s about getting results now and finding a consistency that we didn’t in the first few months of last season. To get off to a better start is vital. The club has progressed year on year since I have been here, and even before that.

“It will be a very tough game. We are working on things that we will try to do. They have good, experienced League One players and will be tough to be beat. We got done there last year, and we want to put that right. Hopefully we can get off to a good start.

“We need to be consistent. We were the worst team for three months and the best team for six months.”

When Foxy put pen to paper in the summer, ending speculation that he may move to a club nearer to his family’s base near Manchester, there was elation from the Green Army. Social media was awash with people hailing Fox’s committal, with some saying it was as good as an ‘incoming’.

“It’s really nice, and very humbling,” said David, of the reaction. “It makes you feel part of something, to feel part of the club. It was massive. You don’t get that everywhere you go, but I’ve found it here.

“I always knew from a football point of view that I wanted to stay. I didn’t talk to anyone else. It was just other things that needed sorting out. Once that decision was made off the field, to do another year, it was easy to sort out. I’ve not got long left, football-wise, but when you have 1,600 or 1,700 cheering you on on Saturday, that’s what you do it for.

“Hopefully, we will enjoy it with a win. It’s why I have come back.”