Mumba positive ahead of Leeds trip

After three games in which Argyle lost twice on the road then clawed back a single point at Home Park, Bali Mumba says he and his team-mates are sticking together as they seek a first away win of the season.  

Losses at Cardiff City and Millwall were followed by a remarkable home game in which the Greens trailed 3-0 to Preston North End, before hauling the game back to 3-3.  

Next comes a daunting trip to Yorkshire to meet Leeds United, third in the table and with only one loss all season, but Mumba is preaching positivity for the journey to Elland Road.   

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Bali. “It's always good to play there. We've played there a few times now.  The atmosphere there is always good, the fans are always up for it. It's always an exciting place to go.  

“I feel like that's what teams probably experience when they're down here as well, how lively it is. Hopefully [the Green Army] are there in numbers again, supporting us, and hopefully we can go out there and give them a performance to be happy about.  

“The most important thing is to stick together and believe in ourselves.  

“There's no point going there with a negative mindset. If you're going there already with that sort of mindset, then there's no point. You've already lost the game.  

“You have to go there with belief. I'm someone that always believes anyway, no matter what I'm faced up with.  

“Especially at a place like that where the fans play a big part in their performance, you've got to try to frustrate them, stop them from getting up as much as possible. 

“I feel like if we can get them quiet, we've got a little bit of an advantage to try and then control the game after that. The first step is to try to quieten the crowd, which is very tough, but if we stay together and we go through that spell where it is loud, try to manage through that, I think we'll be all right.” 

Mumba played a major part in the Preston comeback last weekend. He was voted as man of the match after a game in which he contributed a significant assist, driving forward on the left flank to whip in a sumptuous cross that was headed in by Andre Gray, which at the time made the game 3-2.  

An equaliser followed, and an unlikely point was gained. Mumba says this epitomises the spirit within the camp.   

“A lot of people would have said at 3-0 that it was done,” he said. “To get something out of the game, first of all, that's all credit to us for having the team spirit that we have, not giving up to get something out of the game. Obviously, it was disappointing not to get the win, but what we did was incredible to come back and get the point.  

“It shows that we don't just give up. We don't give in and think: ‘it's over’. We keep fighting, we keep pushing and that's what it's been like. When we’ve played away, the mindset is still to try and get something out of the game and still go until the end. That's Argyle; that's who we are.”