Schumacher's Accrington Reaction

In the aftermath of Argyle’s 2-0 win at Accrington Stanley, Steven Schumacher seemed to be a man dealing with conflicting emotions.

In part, frustration at what he described as a poor performance, despite claiming three points thanks to Matt Butcher’s deflected effort and substitute Conor Grant’s clincher, either side of Mo Sangare being sent off for Stanley.

However, even if Schumacher’s Pilgrims were not at their best, they ground out a precious victory which achieved a couple of landmarks. It means that, after 38 games, Argyle have reached the 80-point mark, the exact same tally they finished with last season after 46.

The win also sent Argyle back to the summit of Sky Bet League One, as minutes after the final whistle at the Wham Stadium, Barnsley secured victory over previous leaders Sheffield Wednesday.

Even if the manager was not content with how his side had played, the pleasure at the result and the aforementioned milestones seemed to be winning the day.

Schumacher smiled as he told Argyle TV: “I don’t think we’ve ever played as badly and won the game. One of the maddest performances I can remember as a coach.

“It was a bit frustrating, there was hardly any football played. In the first 45 minutes it was a bit of a battle and a fight, which you expect when you come here, it’s never easy.

“In the second half, even when they went down to ten men, I still felt that we made it really hard for ourselves. We could have made the game so much more comfortable, but we found a way – again – to get over the line. We kept another clean sheet, which is great, but it was a crazy performance.

“No-one remembers how you played, away at Accrington Stanley, on a cold, rainy, windy Tuesday night. They just remember the scoreline. That’s all I’m really bothered about.

“We’ve played great football this season, and the lads deserve to be top of the league. It’s incredible. We’ve got 80 points, with eight games to go. That achievement is outstanding.”

Butcher’s opening goal, on 14 minutes, meant that even if Argyle were, in the manager’s eyes, sub-par, they had a lead to protect for a long while.

Butcher was returning to the club he had played for for the previous two seasons and, even if his strike owed a lot to fortune – a large deflection took the ball away from the stranded Toby Savin in the Stanley goal – it would still have been a sweet moment.

There was a nice moment for Dan Scarr too, who came on as a substitute to play his first minutes in around in seven weeks. Sadly, it was at the expense of the luckless James Bolton, who after playing so brilliantly in a scoring return to the side on Saturday, limped off in the first half at Accrington, with what Schumacher said was a hamstring issue.

Another man with little fortune on the injury front is Conor Grant. A real star of 2021/22, injury ruled Grant out of the beginning of this season, and after a few games in October, he broke down at Grimsby Town in early November.

Four-and-a-half long months later, he was on the bench at Stanley, and just four minutes after his introduction, he buried a chance to give Argyle a crucial second goal.

“I’m so pleased for Conor,” said Schumacher. “He’s had a really frustrating time. He’s been a brilliant player for us and has contributed loads of goals and assists in his time.

“This year hasn’t gone the way he has wanted because of his injuries. He is a brilliant professional, trains really well and looks after himself. When he is ready to step into the team, you have no doubt that he will do a job.

“At that stage of the game, we needed some experience and calmness on the pitch. That’s what he brings, and when he got put into that position, we’ve seen him score loads of goals like that.

“I’m pleased for Scarrsy, getting back on the pitch, and another clean sheet for the defensive unit.

“And I’m pleased for Butch. Coming back to your old club is always a special night. He did well when he played here.

“Accrington’s gameplan was to get in our faces and make it hard, which they did. The early goal makes them go to Plan B. It was so important.

“We got a big slice of luck, and coming to tough places that is sometimes what you need.

“I think we got the rub of the green on a few of the decisions, which is not our fault. The red card made it a bit easier, but credit to Accrington, they kept going all the way to the end, and we had to defend our box really well.”

Grant’s second goal gave Argyle a cushion, and arguably more confidence, and ultimately the Pilgrims finished the game strongly to see it out.

It was a climactically tempestuous evening in Lancashire, but nearly 700 Pilgrims braved the foul weather to watch their side gain three precious points, and at full time the sodden Green Army greeted the conclusion of the game with delight. The opportunity to go back to the summit of the division had been taken, and the whistle signalled the chance to get dry again was incrementally closer, too.

“I just can’t speak highly enough of our fans,” said Schumacher. “They haven’t been treated to a festival of football, but I think they’ll be travelling home happy because they’ve seen the players give 100%. They didn’t play great, but they’ve managed to get three points and a clean sheet on the road. They must be delighted that their team are back on the top of the league."