Ryan Lowe delighted as Plymouth return to winning ways against Gillingham

Posted Sunday, January 03, 2021 by PA

Plymouth boss Ryan Lowe was delighted with his side as they got back to winning ways with a 1-0 home win over mid-table Sky Bet League One rivals Gillingham.

Wales Under-21 striker Luke Jephcott swept home a 33rd-minute winner as he finished off Argyle’s best move of the game, from their own box.

Jephcott has now scored 14 goals in all competitions this season, and five in Argyle’s last five games.

Lowe said: “A clean sheet, three points and a really good goal – I’ve got to be happy haven’t I?

“We were dominant more or less all the game really. They had a spell where we had to show a bit of gut and resilience but we knew what was coming.

“We have made no apologies to the lads in training this week for how we have trained and how we have had to deal with their long-ball game and everything that comes with it.

“That’s the way Steve Evans’ team plays. They are on the front foot, full of desire. They are hungry, winners.

“We scored a great goal so I am pleased with the goal, the performance but ultimately with three points.

“We have a young team out there. I don’t know the average age but it’s young.

“Collectively we will make small mistakes, errors, but we had 17 shots on their goal – and some blocked and what have you.

“There weren’t many on target but the one that counted was the one that went in and that was a great finish by Luke.

“It’s nice now having a couple of weeks off from the league. We can look forward to going to Huddersfield in the FA Cup now next week off the back of a win.”

The win lifted Argyle to 15th to sit level on 26 points with 14th-placed Gillingham, whose boss Steve Evans said: “We deserved to win the game, let alone take a point.

“We will get on with it and we wish Ryan Lowe every success at Plymouth. He is a good young manager and we have a good relationship.

“They are a great club and we wish them well. But we need to concentrate on ourselves.

“We move on, we are pleased with this performance. We were disappointed on Tuesday (a 3-1 defeat at Northampton), pleased with the performance today but gutted about the result. It’s a long way home.

“It was one-way domination in the second half. There were probably 50 or 60 entries into their 18-yard box and we are not on the end of them to score a goal so that is disappointing. We had them on the rack for long periods.

“We changed the shape at half-time and we were outstanding second half, all-bar scoring a goal.

“You have to go away and reflect on that because the game is about scoring goals. If you are ever going to lose a game, that is how you lose a game.

“If we had fans, they would have applauded the team off because they gave everything.”