Lonwijk's Fleetwood Preview
On-loan defender Nigel Lonwijk has popped up all over Argyle’s back-line this season.
Whether along the three central defensive positions, or occasionally an auxiliary wing-back, Lonwijk has now played 34 times in Argyle’s season, which has seen the Pilgrims top Sky Bet League One after 31 games and reach the Papa Johns Trophy semi-final.
“I think we’ve put ourselves in a really good position,” he said. “We’re not comfortable yet because everything is still happening. We just need to keep going how we’re playing, and two we’re winning games.
“Because we've got such a big squad, everyone just keeps each other on their toes and everyone's working hard to get in the starting 11, to get on the bench.
“I think that just makes us a stronger team, because everyone keeps supporting each other, helping each other out to be better than the opponent.
“Everyone’s got the same goal. Everyone wants to win the league, get promoted.
“I think I've been growing through the whole season. Picking everything up every game and been playing a lot of games. So I'm just happy with that, getting the minutes in, [learning about] managing games, knowing what to do in the right moment and, learning how to win games.
“Playing as a left centre-back or right centre-back, that's not a problem. As a wing back, I haven't really played like that. But I don't mind that.
“You're a forced a bit more to go forward and back. It's a bit more running than I would do as a centre-back. That's the biggest difference!”
In the last two games, Argyle have won 3-1, in games with similar denouements. Against Portsmouth at Home Park, then away at Oxford United, Argyle led 2-1 heading in the closing moments, but each time broke away, with Ryan Hardie scoring goals that sealed victory.
There have been times, especially as Portsmouth pushed for an equaliser, that Argyle have had to put bodies on the line with committed defending. Nigel says that this is all part of the game, and it helps to have strikers like Hardie, and Sam Cosgrove, who bagged the opener against Pompey, on hand to supplement the defence’s work.
“Everyone just gives everything,” he said. “If we have to block, like we did it against Portsmouth, just everyone throwing their body in front of the ball - it's about doing everything to just stop them from scoring. We’ve got strikers up top that can make a difference in scoring goals to let us win the game.
“If we get under that pressure, it gives us more space to go forward when we win it and when we win the ball and get forward, we always know that we will create something and a lot of times score goals.”
Lonwijk’s previous loan spell away from Wolves was at Fortuna Sittard in the Eredivisie, the top flight of the Netherlands. There, he played in front of crowds in the region of 7,000, a far cry from the regularly packed Home Park this season, where the average gates are topping 15,000.
“The atmosphere [at Home Park] is really good,” said Nigel. “The games have been sold out for so long. It pushes the team, pushes me, pushes everyone to just get the three points again.
“When you hear the fans screaming, pushing you forward, it keeps you going even though you are under pressure. It’s a good feeling.”
