Town defender Cameron Burgess admitted he was proud of the Blues’ performance after they returned to the Championship automatic promotion places following a 2-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle at Home Park.

However, the Town centre-back says he is not paying close attention to results elsewhere after the Blues leapfrogged Leeds United into second place with 11 matches remaining.

An own goal from Brendan Galloway and another goal for Wales striker Kieffer Moore sealed the victory for the Blues on an afternoon where Kieran McKenna’s side registered a fifth straight victory.

Burgess admitted conditions made it difficult but praised the Blues’ resilience to keep going and find the decisive goals inside the final half an hour.

“It was a hard-fought win,” Burgess said. “The weather made it difficult at times, but one for the details and a good three points. We’re proud of that one.

“It was two good teams trying to get a position in the game, and the weather was a bit of leveller. It was one that was always going to go further into the game and there was probably only going to be one or two goals that won it.

“We knew we could have stepped up a gear when we need to, but it was also a game to stay in it. We’re not playing against an easy team, they’re a good Plymouth team that have plenty of goals in them.

“It was about us sticking to the details at the back and doing what we needed to do from a defensive point of view, but going into the second half and stamping our authority in the attacking half.”

Saturday’s success in Devon capped off the first time Town have won five Championship matches on the bounce since the management of Joe Royle in October 2003.

“We were aware of that before the game,” Burgess said. “It’s not been done for a while for this team in the Championship.

“But it’s one game at a time, you learn to forget about what’s gone on before and focus on what’s ahead. We’re just taking it one game at a time.”

Heavy rain made its mark on the contest, with the first half in particular appearing a scrappy affair. Burgess says the squad knew what to expect and prepared for the conditions accordingly.

Asked if it was similar to the away match at Swansea City two weeks ago, he said: “It wasn’t quite as bad, I think the pitch held up quite well. But it’s never easy when you play in those conditions.

“The rain makes the pitch change and makes the game change – it can become a cagier game. One we were well aware of, I think the warm-up was probably the worst part of the game and it started to get better as the game went on.

“It’s just about being ready for it, different aspects of the game changes a little bit.”
The Blues defender, who has started the last five matches since returning from the Asian Cup, was particularly pleased with the clean sheet, only the second Town have recorded in the last 11 games.

“That’s a big one,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of goals up top, some real good quality and we were well versed on the details that they’re good at. They’ve scored some good goals, counter-attacking goals and obviously have a lot of quality at the top end of the pitch.

“You’ve got to keep them at bay for 90 minutes and it’s a really proud one for the boys to be able to do that today.”

Having signed for the club in the summer of 2021, Burgess has enjoyed many battles with Argyle over recent years, including last season in League One where both sides were jostling for promotion.

“We’ve had some good ding-dongs in the last few years to be fair,” the 28-year-old said. “Obviously it’s nice to see them do well and get up last year like us, probably two good teams that deserved it in the end which is good to see.

“But obviously it’s a new season and we take each game as it comes. I suppose it’s a nice one to tick off to come down here and get a good result.”

The Blues scored both of their goals in front of the away fans, sending more than 1,700 members of the Blue Army into raptures after making the 600+ mile round trip to Devon.

Burgess said: “The fans travel in their numbers and it’s a long old way so well done to them for coming down It was good to get a win and get a couple of goals for them to celebrate.

“That’s what they’re here to do and fair play to them because they turn up in their numbers. They’ve got some big travels coming up and another one today.

“It’s good to see them here with smiles on their faces and obviously it’s a good place to be for the club.”

The promotion battle in the Championship continues to excite, with Town capitalising on a defeat for Leicester City and a draw for Leeds United to boost their credentials for Championship success.

The Blues now find themselves only three points off the Foxes out in front and are two points clear of the West Yorkshiremen in third after their own nine-game winning run came to an end.

However, Burgess is adamant that results elsewhere are not playing their part in the mindset of the squad, emphasising that they are focusing only on their own performances.

“No,” Burgess said when asked if the Leeds result was spoken about pre-match. “I don’t think it’s right to do that anyway. Honestly I wasn’t really aware of it to be honest, it’s about going and doing our job.

“You can’t control those things and what other teams do, so it’s about us and what we can do. Let’s see where that takes us.

“Like I said we’re taking it one game at a time. To be honest, I haven’t even looked at my phone yet, I’ll get on the bus now and maybe have a look at the results.

“The first thing I do is if my friends have played games and what their results have been. We’ll worry about what other teams are doing later on.

“It’s the old cliché of one game at a time. We’re here to win every game we possibly can, that’s all we can do and we’ll see where it takes us.

“It’s a process for us, it’s all about putting in good performances and if that brings us to a good place come the end of the season then let’s enjoy that when it comes.”

He added: “That’s the Championship, isn’t it? Plenty of results change and there’s still a long way to go, a lot of twists and turns to happen.

“We’ll control what we can control and take each game as it comes. Hopefully we can get a few more points.”

Prior to the Blues winning their last five, they embarked on a tricky run of just one win in nine league games, which saw their promotion rivals close and reverse the gap.

But Burgess insisted that there has been no major change in attitudes or performances between the two spells in the season.

The Australia international said: “Football’s a random game, we’ve seen that plenty of times. Nothing’s changed whatsoever, we work hard and we try our best to put in good performances.

“I feel like in that time we’ve not really put too many bad performances in – it’s just been a case of sticking to our guns, do what we’re good at and results take care of themselves in the end.”

Moore slammed home his fifth goal for the club in seven games since returning on loan from Bournemouth on deadline day, with his impact on McKenna’s side clear to see.

Burgess claimed: “We’ve seen that already in the time that he’s been here. He’s contributed really well with goals, build-up and he’s a really big part of what we do. He’s a really good guy as well and he’s fitted into the group tremendously.

“It’s been brilliant for us to have him here and hopefully he can play a big part before the end of the season. He’s got big experience and he adds a lot to the group. It’s definitely a good thing for us.”

Photo: Matchday Images

MK1 added 11:14 - Mar 3 You have been brilliant for us. We missed your calming influence when you were away. Keep it going boys, we are so close now.
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Bazza8564 added 11:39 - Mar 3 Most improved player of the season for me without doubt, always been a good defender but now so much more composed on the ball, patient and has the eye for a good long pass when called for. no offence to Fridge but when Cam was out ad fridge got POM for January i did wonder.....
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johnwarksshorts added 14:52 - Mar 3 And we're proud of you and the whole team.
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