I felt that this game had wrongly been billed as a ‘relegation six pointer’ before the match. Yes, both teams are struggling at the wrong end of the table but Northampton had won five in six to practically eliminate any fears of relegation whilst Argyle were continuing to keep themselves outside the relegation zone as we had lost only two out of ten games heading into this match. This fixture was definitely an important one for both sides, but more a game that neither side could afford to lose rather than having to win.
So, with the sun shining, an attendance of 6718 descended on Sixfields – a crowd that included a fantastic 1172 members of Carl Fletcher’s Green Army who were incredible throughout the game.
Watching from a very tense away end, it was clear that the nerves in the stands were being felt by the players. Every pass was being made with extreme caution and neither team really pushed for a winner, preferring keeping a clean sheet to trying to take all three points.
In the first 10 minutes I was worried, Northampton had started a lot more positively than us and it looked as if they would avenge their 4-1 defeat at Home Park earlier in the season. But after their start which saw a few shots go wide of the Argyle goal, the Cobblers retreated and by the end of a half where chances were few and far between, I was not wrong in turning to fellow Greens and discussing how we were growing strongly into the game.
The Pilgrims emerged for the second half to the wall of noise that had been consistent throughout the first from the Green Army, who were nearly rewarded for the amazing support within minutes of the restart as Alex MacDonald shot narrowly over after skinning three Northampton defenders.
Paul Wotton then came within inches of winning the game for Argyle with 15 minutes to go as his thunderbolt slammed against the underside of the crossbar and bounced out, a goalmouth scramble ensued but no Green player could poke the ball home. It was the best – and last – chance of a very tense but reasonably entertaining stalemate.
Northampton look virtually safe from relegation and most Argyle fans left happy, knowing we had secured another vital point in our quest for football league safety against an in-form side. The only dark spot on what was really a good away day was Dagenham staging a remarkable comeback against Accrington to leapfrog us in the table.
However apart from that, the point was a good result for us. We remain one point above the relegation zone and with our next two games being at home against a Bradford side that do not travel well, and then Hereford who often fail to perform at home, a maximum return of six points is not out of the question.
The few that were not happy with the point at Sixfields expect too much of Argyle, while the fans who were happy with the point (99% of us) know we are taking steps in the right direction. There are now seven games to play, and looking at the average points required for safety in recent seasons and barring the teams below us do not suddenly go on a crazy run of form, winning three of these games will probably see us safe.
Hold on to your seats Argyle fans, it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
You can follow Sam Barker on Twitter for more Plymouth debate.
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