Blackburn Rovers (H) | Schumacher's Reaction

Steven Schumacher is delighted to be able to enter the upcoming international break on a high after a 3-0 win against Blackburn Rovers at Home Park.

A first-half goal from Finn Azaz put the Pilgrims in the lead at the break, and after a period of play where each side sought the game’s next goal, it was Argyle who got it, via Ryan Hardie. Luke Cundle quickly added a third, and a game that had looked firmly in the balance for a long time had suddenly swung Argyle’s way.

The win followed a recent run of games in which the Pilgrims put in strong performances but had very little to show for it. Two consecutive 2-1 defeats – against Southampton and Birmingham City – both came via last-minute goals, but this time the Greens were more clinical, and their opponents a little wasteful, in a game in which Schumacher admitted that Argyle did not have their own way.

“It's a brilliant win,” said Schumacher. “It was a tough game. We said in the week that Blackburn are a good team. I really like the way they play. The energy and the athleticism that they've got on the team is something for us to try and get to. I think they were probably the better team in the first half, especially the first 25 minutes.

“We felt we were a little bit off the pace, but there's reasons behind that. The six fixtures we've played so far took a lot out of everybody, physically and mentally. We were just a little bit off it today, but we recovered, we got ourselves in the lead, maybe against the run of play, and second half, I thought we were better. The chances that we created, we were clinical with them, and that's what you've got to be at this level.

“[The second goal] had a huge effect on the result. I think it was a good game. It was an open game of football. We knew that the styles kind of match. We play a similar way. They probably just edged the possession and the passes, but we edged the shots, I think.

“I think we've played better than that in the last two league games and lost; it's okay sometimes to not be at your very, very best, but as long as you can take points, then that's the main thing.

“I think we got our press right and nullified their threats to a certain extent. Conor [Hazard], anything that he had to deal with, he dealt with. I can only think of the one big chance where Blackburn got in and should have scored, Hedges should have scored, but he didn't. We've been guilty of that, not taking big chances when we've got them over the last couple of games.”

The game saw an EFL starting debut for Julio Pleguezuelo, who played his part in an Argyle clean sheet. At the other end, Ryan Hardie scored for the fourth time in the five games played to this point, with a classic striker’s goal, being the first to anticipate after a save made by the Blackburn goalkeeper.

Schumacher had words for both men: “We made a change today - Pleggy for Dan Scarr - for a tactical reason. That was a big call, but I thought Pleggy played really well. He showed his athleticism where we knew we needed it. Dan didn't sulk about it this week, he came on, did his job, did brilliantly to see the game out.

“[Ryan Hardie] is finding himself more in those positions this year because he's not having to run in in wide areas as much, because of the shape that we're playing. He's becoming a number nine who plays in the box. I know Ryan's a good finisher; he's always been a good finisher and he's always scored goals for us.

“He's doing really well. He's also getting better at his all-round game. I think he's holding the ball up better and he’s harder to play against than he has been. He looks a bit stronger physically. He's worked hard over the summer, and he knows that. If he continues to play in this team where we're going to create chances, then he's going to score more goals.”

There is now a two-week break before Argyle’s next fixture, which is an away trip to Preston North End, managed by Schumacher’s good mate, former Argyle boss Ryan Lowe.

Getting a win means that the Pilgrims can go into the break with a positive mindset as they replenish the legs and get set for the next intense section of the season.

Schumacher said: “It was so important to try and get that win today, having played so well in the last two games. I think if we didn't take anything from this game today, it might have knocked our confidence. We've had to grind it out effectively today, and the players can now go into this break pleased at what they've done in the opening few weeks of the Championship.

“[They can be] confident that we can go on and play well in the next block of fixtures. We'll have a little bit of downtime; we've got some important work to do at the start of this week, and the lads will have a few days off over the weekend and then we're ready to go for what's going to be an amazing game at Preston. I can’t wait.”