Miller's Blackpool Reaction

A goal and an assist completed a good day for Mickel Miller, on a personal level, as Argyle won 2-1 at Blackpool in their third pre-season game.

Miller was a summer acquisition this time last year, and caught the eye as much as anyone as the 2022/23 season loomed. However, injury restricted him to only 12 appearances during the campaign.

Mickel is hoping that this season will be a different story, and this sentiment will be backed up by the Green Army, who have been thrilled by Miller’s exciting performances in the green.

“I’m buzzing to be on the scoresheet, buzzing for another good result,” Miller told Argyle TV after the game. “It's looking positive, we've just got to keep it going. You can really see that the work that we're putting in pre-season is showing in the games.

“[The goal] starts from the back. Scarrsy pushes up, presses. Ryan went through there and played it back to me. I got it out of my foot and then just wrapped it in the corner.

“I've been practising. A lot of them have been going over in training, so it's nice for one to hit the back of the net!

“That's another thing we've been working on as well. It starts from the front. We all push up and press. I nicked the ball, played it to Ryan and it was a good finish.

“I'm feeling good. There's always a little chip on my shoulder because I don't want to think about last season. I’ve just got to stay positive and what will be, will be.”

Miller played mostly as a left wing-back during last season, but has been employed as a more orthodox left-back at times this pre-season. Against Blackpool, he started wide on the right in Argyle’s front three, and frequently found himself in good attacking positions during his hour on the pitch.

It is the perfect time for manager Steven Schumacher to try out different combinations of players on the field, as new summer signings integrate themselves into the Argyle setup.

“It's nice out there,” said Mickel, of playing on the flank. “I used to play on the wing, so it's not like I don't know how to play there. The gaffer is introducing this formation and it's nice to be back out there.

“It's not easy because everyone's still trying to understand each other. It's good to see in the games and it just goes to show that the group that we have is a very good group. The players that come in have just slotted in nicely.

“The understandings on the pitch have still got a long way to go, but it's looking good. Everyone's on the same page.”