Home advantage vital ahead of Parkway's run of away days

PLYMOUTH Parkway return to Bolitho Park tonight knowing this Southern League Premier Division meeting with Wimborne Town carries a little extra weight. With a long stretch of away fixtures looming, it feels like the last chance, at least for a while, to turn recent resilience into the kind of home points that shape a season.

- By MIKE PARRISH

Plymouth Parkway's Callum Hall celebrates his goal against Sholing

(TOM PINDER)

Parkway’s consistency has been quietly impressive. One defeat in the last 11 outings has kept them moving in the right direction, and the togetherness shown in recent weeks has become a feature rather than a one-off. There's been a stubbornness about the Yellows that makes them hard to beat, even when the game turns into a scrap.

Wimborne, though, arrive as one of the Premier South's most efficient outfits. Fifth in the table after 16 games, they've paired a tidy defensive record with enough quality at the other end to stay in the playoff conversation. Their 14 goals conceded is joint-best in the division, and they've not tasted league defeat since a 1-0 trip to Walton on October 11.

Yet there’s a clear away-day edge to this story. Wimborne’s road games have been tight, tactical affairs, only six conceded in eight away matches, the best travelling defence in the league, but just seven scored in the same spell. It suggests tonight may be decided by small moments: a set-piece, a second-ball, or a refereeing decision similar to the reverse fixture.