Saturday’s 0-0 draw away to Oxford United may have felt like a disappointing result for Argyle who sit 10 places above United, but that clean sheet made it 18 for the season; a record better than any other club in England.
Speaking to the club’s official website, the Pilgrims captain Curtis Nelson, an ever present in Argyle’s back-line, talked of the pressure they put on the opposition to take their chances.
“That’s what we like to think and what we try to keep to – if they don’t get the chances, they don’t score the goals.”
This was apparent early in the game against Oxford, when Patrick Hoban spurned a glorious chance to put his side one-nil ahead early in the game. This may well have been the pressure that Nelson speaks of, getting to the opposition.
“It’s always a positive to have things like that associated with the team and something we’ll obviously look to build on, and helps our push for promotion.
“It’s a team thing. Keeping clean sheets is a good habit to have, because if they don’t score and you do, you’ve won the game. Every team goes out to keep a clean sheet.”
If Argyle are going to continue their push up the table, then a solid defensive record will be key. On tuesday evening they travel to Dagenham and Redbridge, where they will be without Chesterfield loanee Drew Talbot who was recalled by his parent club hours before kick-off on saturday. The question is, can they make it 19 clean sheets?
