Tom Cleverley lauds ‘effective’ Bim Pepple after Plymouth draw with Mansfield

Plymouth boss Tom Cleverley praised striker Bim Pepple for his “outstanding” finish in the 1-1 League One draw with mid-table rivals Mansfield.

Pepple ran between four defenders before unleashing an unstoppable 20-yard right-foot strike on the run and into the corner out of the reach of full-stretch goalkeeper Liam Roberts.

Stags skipper Ryan Sweeney swooped for a 41st-minute leveller but Roberts was player of the match with a string of sensational saves.

Cleverley said: “It was an outstanding strike by Bim. He took his goal brilliantly well.

“The one word I would use for Bim is effective. Bim certainly scores and creates goals. He’s a nightmare to mark.

“I thought the chance he missed (after the goal) was a good save rather than a poor miss.”

Reflecting on the game, Cleverley added: “I am disappointed. The players are disappointed. I think that is a representation of how far we have come against a side with four wins in their last five games.

“We did more than enough to be two or three-nil up at half time. To be 1-1 was a kick in the teeth.

“It was all about trying to re-energise the players and go again and replicate the first-half performance to give ourselves a chance, which I don’t think we did.

“On the balance of the game it’s one that we have not been clinical enough. There’s a hurting feeling of two points dropped there.

“I thought we were even more dominant in the first half than we were on Saturday (against Luton).

“I was in the stand today and after the first half hour I only had my head turned one way.

“A freakish equaliser knocked the stuffing out of us.”

Stags boss Nigel Clough was pleased with the way his side dealt with a first-half Plymouth onslaught.

He said: “I thought Plymouth were fantastic in the first half. We were very poor on the ball in the first 20 minutes, culminating in giving the goal away.

“I thought they were exactly how we have seen them in the last few weeks here, on the front foot, pressing and making it very difficult for you.

“They deservedly went ahead and without the goalkeeper (Liam Roberts) I think it would have been two or three.

“We reorganised and made a couple of changes. We had to juggle it around a little bit, move people around out of position, but I thought we were much better in the second half.

“We were more competitive and a better shape to deal with Plymouth.”

Acknowledging Roberts’ outstanding performance, Clough added: “He’s been incredible all season, pulled out some magnificent saves.

“We think he’s the best in the league and he just makes such important saves at important times.

“We have no other goalkeeper at the moment. People sometimes say you need competition, someone breathing down your neck to play your best – you don’t if you are his sort of character.
He’s been magnificent since the day he walked in.

“We’ve now got a run of three home games now which is great, starting with Wycombe on Saturday.”