Schumacher's Cheltenham Reaction

After Argyle won a penalty shoot-out against Cheltenham Town to reach the final of the Papa Johns Trophy,  the overriding feeling for manager Steven Schumacher, after relief had rushed through his body, was pride.

Pride at how his team played, and their achievement. Pride at knowing he is shortly to become only the third of the 37 permanent managers in Argyle history to lead a team out at Wembley Stadium. And pride at doing it for the Green Army.

“That result is for our fans,” he said, after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes was followed by a 3-2 win from the shoot-out. “They're the best fans in the country, in my opinion, for how far we've got to travel. We sell out every away game.

“This day at Wembley is for them.

“It feels incredible. There were stages there tonight where I thought this isn't going to be our night.

“For us to get there for only the third time in the club's history; it's amazing to be only the third manager to lead this team out there at Wembley Stadium.  

“It's something I'm just so incredibly proud of.”

There were times where a day out under the arch did not seem destined to be Argyle’s. After the Pilgrims dominated the first half, but found visiting goalkeeper Luke Southwood impassable, Alfie May put Cheltenham into the lead.

Argyle equalised with a stunning Ryan Hardie goal, and looked the more likely side to find a winner, but Southwood continued to be impressive, and Sam Cosgrove saw an effort clang against the post.

Kicks from the penalty mark was the only way the game could be settled. After Callum Burton made two stops, Argyle having missed one spot-kick when Finn Azaz hit the post, Jordan Houghton had a chance to clinch the tie.

He struck over, via the crossbar, but Burton saved from May, and it was the Greens who booked their place in the final.

“It was pretty much a carbon copy of Saturday's game [against Fleetwood Town],” said Schumacher. “I felt we played really well, passed the ball well, had 70% possession at half-time and at the end of the game.

“If we’d have scored in the first half, it's a different game. When you have to commit so many bodies forward because all the opposition defend, then you're always open to a counter-attack and it just takes one mistake.

“That’s what happened for their goal. Credit to the players once again: we've made changes, they responded, we changed our shape again, and we've gone on to score an equaliser - what a goal Ryan Hardie scored.

“It was such a great goal and got us back in the tie. I thought Sam Cosgrove was really unlucky with his chance that whacked the post.

“I'm just so pleased with how we played. A penalty shoot-out is a bit of a lottery, but on the balance of it I think we deserve to go through.

“[Southwood] played really well. We've scored two from outside the box against him this season already, and we felt we could get our shots away, but everything we threw at him tonight he had an answer for.

“He made a great save down low against Finn Azaz and a one-v-one against Mickel Miller where he did really well. It was going to take something special to beat him. In that position there's only Ryan Hardie that could dream up trying to execute that finish.”

The penalty shoot-out was the third Argyle have encountered in the Papa Johns Trophy this season, winning them all. Schumacher said penalty competitions are a regular fixture in training sessions, with Burton typically being the one to face the barrage of 12-yarders.

Talk about practise paying off.

Schumacher said: “The lads practise penalties, and we say you've got to take your ‘match-day pens’.

“Everyone's got to be ready to step up on a normal league game and be ready to take a pen, so they practise every day and they're confident at it. That was the message to them from me: Just be confident, pick a spot, be positive and strike it clean.

“We hit the post and the bar with the two that we missed, but apart from that, I couldn't really complain too much about the pens.

“Callum Burton is incredible at them. He's had a lot of practise. The takers practise them every day and Callum, being the back-up goalkeeper for the last 18 months, he's the one who's tries to save them. He's got an incredible record right throughout his career, even before he came to Argyle, so he's confident that he's good at them.

“Thankfully he's got us into Wembley.”