Plymouth Argyle turn a crucial corner with lunchtime victory

It has been a torrid spell for Plymouth Argyle Football Club, losing the Devon derby at Exeter City and dropping to the bottom of Sky Bet League One.

Travelling to fellow strugglers Port Vale, it was a massive day for the Pilgrims last weekend, and the script was written for Swiss striker Lorent Tolaj, the main bright spot in Argyle’s gloomy season.

Tolaj moved to Home Park from Vale in August, and the stage was set for him to steal the headlines. He duly obliged with the only goal early in the second half, prodding home the winner from a Matty Sorinola cross.

“We have done a lot of work on our defensive stuff but it was more about the mentality of our players,” said Argyle boss Tom Cleverley. “There was a different look in their eye, we had a bit more of an age profile about us, and that showed.

“The players delivered and deserve credit.

“We needed a bit more belief in their half because I felt like we could take a bit more risk. You could tell we were desperate for a clean sheet and that showed in our performance.

“It was a nice way to start the second half and Tolaj works hard, he’s driven and he shows that to leave Brighton and join Port Vale in League Two, then on to Argyle. He wants to be right at the top and you can see that in his work every day.

“I’m happy for him and for the supporters after a tough period. We had to suffer in the period of stoppage time but we’ve not suffered enough and kept a clean sheet. We rolled our sleeves up and dug in with more experience in the team.”