Plymouth boss sympathy for Alex Neil after ‘worst feeling in football’

 

 

Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher sympathised with Alex Neil after his side fought back to beat Stoke City 2-1 thanks to a last-second winner.

Adam Randell, the Plymouth-born 23-year-old right-back, celebrated his 100th Argyle appearance by scoring in the seventh and final minute of stoppage time after Ciaran Clark cleared Luke Cundle’s shot off the line. Mustapha Bundu’s 43rd-minute near-post strike had earlier cancelled out Tyrese Campbell’s 23rd-minute opener for Stoke.

Schumacher said: “We got the three points, six from the week and we’re up to 16th and everyone can see how tight it is, so it was massive we got the win. From our point of view it’s a brilliant feeling – we have been on the wrong end of the last kick of the game twice this season.

“It’s a killer when it happens to you so we are delighted to get the three points, we are buzzing for our fans to celebrate like that at the death, to celebrate a goal from a local lad at the Devonport End. Obviously you feel a little bit for (Stoke boss) Alex (Neil) and their team because they have worked so hard today and probably thought they had a point in the bag. But they haven’t and we go on and we’ve won the game so I am really pleased with the players.

“It’s the worst feeling in football when that happens, especially when you feel you’ve played well like we did at Birmingham and against Southampton, and they scored with pretty much the last kick of the game. It’s cruel but that’s football. It’s important whether you are up in the game or drawing that you keep going until the very end and so pleased for our players that we did because second half I thought we played really well.

“I felt we were really positive, tried to keep to our style of play and eventually got our rewards.”