Boateng pounces as Pilgrims bring losing streak to an end

TOM Cleverley thought Plymouth Argyle were good value for their first League One victory of the season, which came at the fifth time of trying, as they beat Blackpool 1-0 at Home Park on Saturday.

- CHRIS ERRINGTON [e-mail]

A well-taken 48th minute goal from midfielder Malachi Boateng was all that separated the sides at full-time, but Cleverley felt his players deserved the result and credited them for dealing with the pressure on them to get off the mark, and the way they managed the game in the closing stages.

It was also a first clean sheet of the campaign for the Pilgrims and Cleverley had praise for the performances of goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond as well as centre-backs Alex Mitchell, the recent loan signing from Championship club Charlton Athletic, and stand-in skipper Brendan Galloway.

Cleverley said: "I thought it was a deserved three points. I think it's a case of we had to walk before we could run. I was never expecting that first win to be a four, five-nil demolition job. Blackpool are a good side.

"I think in two or three months time you see us go on to win that game two or three-nil, but we have to walk before we can run. It was a high pressure game for our players.

"There was a lot of pressure on that game that we got that first win, and I thought it was well deserved. First half probably just shaded it, second half certainly deserved the goal and I thought the players managed the game excellently.

"In the last 20 minutes we looked like a team who knew how to win. We managed the tempo, we managed it with counter attacks, we managed it with doing the basics really well, and the impact of the substitutes.