Schumacher: Argyle have lessons to learn after Swindon Town defeat

STEVEN Schumacher described Plymouth Argyle's 3-1 defeat away to League Two side Swindon Town as a disappointing way to end pre-season.

- CHRIS ERRINGTON

Seven days before they begin their 2023/24 Championship campaign against Huddersfield Town at Home Park, the Pilgrims came unstuck as they conceded three second half goals at the County Ground.

One positive for Schumacher, though, was that Morgan Whittaker scored for the third time in as many matches since his £1 million transfer from Swansea City earlier in the month.

Argyle had won four of their previous five warm-up matches but after a goal-less first half against Swindon they had some defensive lapses which were punished by a lively Robins' side.

Schumacher said: "It was not the way we would have wanted to end the pre-season. I think we have had a really good pre-season period.

"The new players we have brought in have added something to the group. Our performances have been getting better, game in game out, but today just wasn't one of them.

"I didn't think we played well enough with the ball and we just didn't do some of the basics as well as what we needed to. It's a disappointing way to end."

Schumacher continued: "Morgan has got three goals in three games and keeps showing the quality he has got. In general, there was one or two things we can take as a positive but in the main there is a few more lessons to be learned as well.

"It's a pretty simple game football. I just felt especially in the second half Swindon came out on top of the little one-v-one battles and the second balls they did better with them.

"We made a few errors defensively and we got punished for it. That's what happens if you are not quite on your game. I just didn't feel as though we were on our game 100 per cent.

"It wasn't horrific or anything like that but we were just not at our best and we know next week we are playing a better standard team as well, and we are going to have to make sure we play better than we did today.