With 6 games to go for Argyle in League One, this season it is well and truly game on. Whilst the top remains clear with Luton well on course to take the crown, the bottom half is anything but. Bradford remain bottom of the league and would require a ‘great escape’ to salvage their league 1 status as they are 6 points from safety. But after them it is anyone’s guess who will go down. 7 points are all that divide 23rd and 12th position, with Plymouth sitting in 14th, 5 points from the last relegation spot.
I’ve gone through all the teams remaining fixtures to try and give myself an idea of who would be likely to pick up points, but I’d have more luck pushing water uphill with a fork. However, I think Easter weekend will be the teller, with everyone playing 2 games across the bank holiday; Argyle travelling to Gillingham, who currently place 13th, on Good Friday then play host to promotion hopefuls Barnsley on Easter Monday. The last 2 games will be away to Accrington and then finally home to Scunthorpe. It’s all to play for.
It seems Wimbledon have hit form just when they needed to – they came through March having lost only once and have given themselves an excellent chance of survival, with only 1 of their remaining fixtures against a top half side, in Luton who may well have the league sewn up by the time the two sides meet. I would tip them as one of the sides for survival.
Argyle’s next two fixtures are up against playoff hopefuls, firstly home to Charlton then away to Doncaster. Defeat in these fixtures could see us well and truly in the thick of it, which is obviously not what any of us want. It is imperative we keep it in our hands and survive without having to rely on other results and a win against Charlton will go a long way in doing so, especially after our previous two results. Had we not conceded late on in the games against Blackpool and Bristol Rovers, Argyle would be sat in 12th position, 9 points ahead of the drop zone and would most probably not get a mention in any relegation conversations. This goes to show the margins of error in the division as we approach the climax.
But as it stands, we are in the safetyzone and it is important to keep picking up points. Any point away from home is a good one as long as we maintain the good home form. Our next visitors are Charlton, who sit in 5th and are all but set to compete in the playoffs, with their performances resulting in Lee Bowyer being linked with the vacant QPR job. We can only hope all the speculation and troubles off the pitch will work in Argyle’s favour this weekend. Derek Adams has the option to change things at right back due to Joe Riley’s unfortunate injury and Ashley Smith Brown, Tafari Moore and Oscar Threlkeld will all be in contention. Things should become clearer after the outcome of the game.