Match Preview: Cheltenham Town v Plymouth Argyle

Cheltenham Town v Plymouth Argyle

Sky Bet Football League Two, Saturday 17 August 2013, kick-off 3pm

Argyle will be seeking at least a point in their third game of the League Two season after defeats in their opening two fixtures.

Manager John Sheridan admits he and the team are already under pressure. He told the club's website this week:

“I’ll stand up. I accept being criticised, because the performances haven’t been good enough.

“My job as a manager is to try to get the best out of them and that’s what I’ll be doing. I’ll be working even harder now. We need to start performing better, and hopefully the results will start coming.”

Last weekend's home defeat by Fleetwood Town must have been especially galling given Argyle's spirited and encouraging performance in their Capital One Cup tie against Birmingham City a few days before. Taking a Championship side to extra time was a significant achievement and seemed to bode well after the shaky opening day loss at Southend. 

Cheltenham Town, managed by Mark Yates, have faired marginally better in the first two weeks of the season. A home draw against Burton Albion was followed by a Capital One Cup win gainst Crawley, then defeat in their League Two game at Chesterfield last weekend.

One league point from two games leaves the Robins, who finished fifith last season, in 18th place; the Pilgrims are one off the bottom. At least (almost) the only way is up.

It is early days to read too much into league positions and Argyle's new signings need time to settle in. A bit of luck, plenty of passion and a result at Cheltenham would help that process.