Randell enjoying challenge of the Championship

STANDARD A CLEAR STEP-UP

- CHRIS ERRINGTON

ADAM Randell has already noticed the step-up in standard in the Championship with newly-promoted Plymouth Argyle but is enjoying the test that it poses for him and his team-mates.

The 22-year-old midfielder has started both of Argyle’s league games at the start of this season, the 3-1 victory over Neil Warnock’s Huddersfield Town followed by the 0-0 draw away to Watford.

The Pilgrims face Southampton, one of the clubs relegated from the Premier League last term, at a soldout Home Park this lunchtime.

Randell said: “It has been a brilliant start. We have had a couple of good results. Personally, I have really enjoyed feeling the level of the games, rather than expecting it and waiting to see what it’s going to be like.

“Obviously, it has been a challenge for us already and it’s going to continue being that way. The speed of everything is a lot quicker.

“Everyone runs that little bit faster, everyone is that bit stronger. Watford were good at keeping the ball, we knew that going into the game, and they made us work hard off the ball.

“Both games were battles at times, they were tough, but we managed to grind our way through them.”

Randell added: “Last year we did a lot of work on our fitness and making sure we were finishing games strongly. A lot of the times we were scoring late goals or pushing on towards the end of games and making sure we weren’t dropping off at all.