is left frustrated by to 'defend dirty'

TOM Cleverley has made keeping clean sheets his top priority for Plymouth Argyle as he looks for his struggling young side to become harder to beat.

- CHRIS ERRINGTON [e-mail]

The Pilgrims dropped to 20th position in League One, a point above the relegation zone, after losing to AFC Wimbledon at Home Park on their return to action following a two-week break due to international call-ups.

Argyle opened the scoring as early as the sixth minute with a fine finish from striker Lorent Tolaj but they could not go on to turn that into maximum points.

Instead, Wimbledon hit back with goals either side of halftime, the first a header from Omar Bugiel and the second a close range shot from Marcus Browne.

The Pilgrims have now lost four of their seven home league games this season and Cleverley admitted: "We have suffered that feeling too many times. For me, we need to learn how to be able to keep clean sheets the dirty way.

"You look at the last two games, Wigan and Wimbledon, and we have taken the lead in both games, at home, and even if you are not at your best you should find a way.

"We have to find a way. I don't feel like either team has opened up us. I don’t think either team has done enough to score a combined three goals against, but we find ourselves losing a game today.

"After the goal (from Tolaj) I expected us to kick on a lot more and we didn’t so we need to tap into the mentality of that. When you have got the foot on somebody's neck you need to go for the kill and we didn’t do that well enough.

"I also didn’t think we were under bags of pressure and our goal was being bombarded. We are a little bit too easy of a nut to crack at the minute and we have suffered from it again."