Dewsnip and Kesler-Hayden Preview Southampton (A)

Another three-day turnaround for Argyle sees the Pilgrims travel to Southampton on Friday, for the final game of 2023.

The Saints are in terrific form, winning 11 and drawing five in their current 16-match unbeaten run which has taken them to third in the table.

The game will be live on Sky Sports, at 6pm, to add an extra dimension to the game, although it was clear in the aftermath of Argyle’s 2-2 draw at Cardiff City that Director of Football Neil Dewsnip and wing-back Kaine Kesler-Hayden that inside the Argyle dressing room, the excitement does not need lifting.

“I want to play against the big teams, and they're a big team,” said Kaine. “We know it's going to be a tough opponent to play, but as long as everyone's at it, I think we've got a real chance.

“We know their players. We'll do our analysis on them and we'll just try to play the way we play. It's more about focusing on us and if we can play how you've seen us play before, attacking, and obviously keeping the ball out of our net, I think we'll have a real chance.

“It’s a quick recovery. [Elliot Turner, head of fitness and conditioning] is always on to us about how we're eating, how we're drinking. We'll get in, do our gym work, recovery, to get the legs moving and we'll be ready for the game.

“Everyone will be looking forward to it; us and the fans included. They'll show up in real numbers and be excited for the game. We'll need the fans massively out there to help us and be our 12th man.

“We came really, really close to holding them at Home Park earlier on in the season,” said Dewsnip, recalling a 2-1 defeat earlier in the season. “We'll have the utmost respect for Southampton. They're a massive football club with a massive budget, good players, good staff, but we'll put together a game plan to make it as difficult as possible for them.

“It’s always exciting to be on Sky. We haven't won away yet - wouldn't it be nice if we could manage to do that live on Sky?”