Aesthetic football: Forest Green v Plymouth Argyle
Argyle travel to take on league leaders Forest Green at the weekend with two of the best footballing sides set to battle it out. Can the Pilgrims win the battle of the greens? Have a read of our preview here:
Progress year-on-year
Mark Cooper has been backed tremendously well by his chairman Dale Vince ever since he became manager at the New Lawn. It is funny, Forest Green get a lot of stick from opposition supporters due to their vegan club policies, yet a number of teams could learn an awful lot about how to run a lower league side by following their example.
Vince has, unlike a lot of other chairmen, has stuck by his manager even when results have not been good while also making sure he is backed by allowing him to sign players that have helped take the club forward.
The Nailsworth outfit give youngsters a chance to prove themselves and grow and Cooper continually gets them playing an aesthetically pleasing style that still garners results in a division known for its physicality.
They sit top of League Two thanks to one the best defensive record in the EFL and a run of just one defeat in the last 10 league games.
They play a similar system to Argyle which should make this compelling viewing and a decent advert for lower league football.
Lowe’s side will be up there
Despite an up and down start to the season at Home Park, Ryan Lowe’s Argyle are slowly building something and although they currently sit in mid-table, the data and recent performances suggest they will be a lot higher at the end of the campaign.
His biggest problem has been the number of niggling injuries to key players but with only Jose Baxter still to return to fitness, this could be the time that the Pilgrims really start to motor up the table.
They are in the top six when looking at shots per game and they have also had an impressive number of touches in the opposition box which shows they are consistently getting into advanced areas. They now need to make sure they are taking advantage.
Only four sides have scored more goals in League Two than Argyle yet they have conceded twice as many goals as Forest Green and will need to tighten up if they are to charge into automatic contention.
Forest Green vs Plymouth Argyle betting tip
You know this should be a good game given the style both teams employ and that should also mean plenty of chances. With that in mind, backing both teams to score at odds of 5/6 seems a very decent shout here.
Post bet chat James's Tips:
How Forest Green didn't score is a mystery but credit where credit is due. Argyle defended well and Alex Palmer notched another clean-sheet for the Pilgrims.