Match Day Preview: Hartlepool United v Plymouth Argyle

Hartlepool United v Plymouth Argyle

Sky Bet Football League Two, Saturday 19 Octover 2013 (kick-off 3pm)

"We know what we’ve got to try and do and that’s win football matches."

John Sheridan has challenged his team to take the initiative in their long distance away fixture at Hartlepool on Saturday:

“We’ve got to get that first goal and get ourselves in the driving seat, try and score goals and put the chances that we create away,” he told the club's website.

Last Saturday's home draw against Portsmouth, while hardly a disaster, added to the team's frustrating winless run: it is now six games since the victory over Bristol Rovers.

Sheridan suffered a blow this week when striker Marvin Morgan became a long-term absentee after it was discovered he would require surgery on a shoulder injury.

The team will travel to the north east in the knowledge that Hartlepool have begun to hit their stride after a struggling start to the season. Last weekend's surprise 3-0 demolition of Exeter at St James Park suggest this will be a tough fixture.

“They’ve got good players and they play at a good tempo. They started the season poorly but they’ve stuck to their guns, they haven’t changed much and now they’re starting to get results," said Sheridan of his opponents.

The manager believes that the team has been a match for most teams this season and that a change of luck could help the Pilgrims climb the table:

“It’s a long, long season and you can see in this division, when you get a few result and win a few games, you find yourself pushing up the table because it’s a very evenly matched.

“I can look back and look at the games and I don’t think any team, other than Wycombe, have been a lot better than us.

“Away from home, at Scunthorpe we played well; at Swindon when we eventually got a grip of them; Exeter for 80 minutes, so we’ll go there and stick to our game plan and hopefully our luck will change.

“We haven’t had much luck and it’s big part of being a successful team."

Colin Cooper's side will be hoping to extend their three-game unbeaten run in all competitions; Argyle will be hoping to put an end to their six-game winless one. It is sure to be another tense Saturday.