Sheridan relieved after rare win

John Sheridan expressed his delight as Plymouth ended a seven-match run without a league win by beating Accrington 1-0 at Home Park.

Lewis Alessandra scored the 42nd-minute winner, cutting in from the left and then beating Stanley goalkeeper Scott Davies from an acute angle. Davies made a string of superb saves early in the second half to deny Alessandra, midfielder Olly Lee and Plymouth's 14-goal top scorer Reuben Reid as Plymouth sought to build on their lead. At the other end Josh Windass twice went close with 20 yard shots, either side of half time. Sheridan said: "Winning is the most important thing at this stage. With the run that we have been on the most important thing was to get three points and I am pleased we did while keeping a clean sheet. "You could tell we were a bit edgy in the first half. Then we get the goal, and then you have a lifeline - something to hold on to. "For 25 minutes or half an hour in the second half, I thought we were excellent. We could've seen the game out and gone 3-0 or 4-0 in front. "I think Accrington had one or two chances in the first half where we rode our luck if the lad picked the right option. Luckily for us he has picked the wrong pass, as they could have scored. "We might have to play 10, 11 or 12 of those types of games towards the end of the season. As long as we are winning the games and getting the points I don't care. Wins are all we are after at this moment in time." Sheridan praised Alessandra for his winner saying: "It is a great finish. I thought he lost possession of the ball. Whether it was a foul, I don't know - I was a bit far away - but it was a brilliant finish. "He has got his reward for his effort and just not giving up on the ball. It's fell for him and like I said, it's a great finish, top corner." Accrington boss John Coleman said: "I am really disappointed. There was a 20 minute spell there in the second half when Plymouth missed a host of chances. "Prior to that and after, that there was nothing in it. You could see two nervous teams who haven't won for a while. "In the last 10 minutes you could see Plymouth panicking as we pinned them in. "That's testament to the fact they haven't won for a while. "But again we have undone by an individual error. It was disappointing because 10 seconds prior to that there was a foul on our centre half that was not given. "When you are down there and things aren't going well for you, you get punished for that and then we have made a mistake to compound it. So instead of us putting the ball in there box, they put the ball in our box and we make a mistake and give them a goal, which is disappointing. "Again individual errors are hurting us at the moment, in the last four weeks we are making mistakes and getting punished. "The one crumb of comfort us that we kept going right to the very end and we could have nicked an equaliser."