Plymouth Argyle, Cardiff City flashpoint may have helped seal Pilgrims relegation | OneFootball

Adam Randell was notable by his absence during three crucial matches for the Greens

Plymouth Argyle’s survival hopes were dealt another massive blow on Saturday, as Miron Muslic’s side went down 3-2 to Derby County at Home Park.

The Pilgrims rallied to battle back from a two-goal deficit to level matters just after the break, before Marcus Harness netted his second of the game to give the Rams all three points in a crucial clash at the bottom of the table.

That result leaves the Greens six points from safety with eight league matches remaining once we return from the international break, with the Devon outfit having it all to do if they are to survive for another season in the second tier.

In what was a crunch week for the club, you can’t help but feel that Argyle were let down by one of their own when they may have needed him the most, with Adam Randell having to sit out the last three matches.

Adam Randell earns three-match suspension after Cardiff City incident

Randell’s temper got the better of him in the Greens’ recent 1-1 draw with Cardiff City at Home Park, with the Argyle academy graduate making his opinions known to referee James Bell after the full-time whistle.

The midfielder was then charged with acting in an improper manner and/or using violent conduct and/or threatening behaviour towards a match official in or around the match officials’ dressing room, leading to a three-match suspension handed to him before the Pilgrims’ match against Sheffield Wednesday.

While the match was something of an ill-tempered affair with two relegation strugglers fighting for everything across the 90 minutes, Randell’s unprofessionalism in approaching an official after the match has cost his side dearly when they needed him the most, with his absence notable across the past week.

Adam Randell misdemeanour costs Plymouth Argyle in Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday encounters

While he may have only been fit enough to feature from the bench in the 3-0 reverse to Sheffield Wednesday, Randell could have been back in the midfield for the visit of the Rams last time out, with his presence adding so much to a side who has struggled to pick up results of late.

With Jordan Houghton’s inability to move the ball forward with any great urgency, and Darko Gyabi’s lack of discipline both in and out of possession, the Greens feel Randell’s absence every time he is out of the side, and that was evident once again on Saturday afternoon.

Too often the visitors were able to win battles in the middle of the park and set up attacks, with both of their opening goals coming from long throws which the team as a whole failed to deal with.

Randell offers a commanding voice and presence when dealing with those problems, and boundless energy both going forward and defensively; something no other player at the club can provide.

While Gyabi and Houghton scrapped for what they could, another late cameo for Malachi Boateng proved that a lack of depth within central areas has cost Argyle dear yet again.

That isn’t to take away from the petty actions of Randell last month though, with the Plymstock-born star leaving his teammates high and dry at a time when points are there to be won against a direct rival at the bottom of the table.

With a tough-looking run-in ahead, the Pilgrims will need to defy all the odds to keep their heads above water between now and the end of the season, with positivity in sparse supply at the Theatre of Greens right now.

This international break gives the whole squad the time to take stock and prepare for the gauntlet thrown in their way, and Randell more than anyone will be coming back with a point to prove in a fortnight’s time, with the 24-year-old proving he is as up for the fight as anyone in a green shirt this season.

Keeping that passion within the realms of reasonability is of paramount importance though; something he has learned to his cost over the past few weeks.