Boss Roy Keane has hit out at Plymouth for not employing the multi-ball system during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Home Park. The Town manager was unhappy at the lengthy delays each time the ball went out of play.
Keane said: "Every time the ball went out it was taking ages to come back in. That's not a spectacle. If I had paid to watch the game today, I would be disappointed, so that needs to be looked at.
"When the ball goes out and takes 35-40 seconds to come back into play, that's what happens in a Sunday morning match.
"You have two pub teams playing and someone hits it wide and it takes ages for someone to chase it down the hill, and you are getting that at this level."
Keane says he wasn’t expecting Jon Walters to be ready to start on Saturday after spraining an ankle on Tuesday: "Jon surprised even me!
"He trained with us and came down with us, and had some more treatment in the morning. Sometimes players just get into the mindset that they will play.
"Twenty-four hours is a long time in football, if you have an ankle injury. I know that from my playing days.”
Meanwhile, striker Jon Stead says he is embarrassed with the club’s current position: "To be honest, it's embarrassing to be at the bottom of the table for so long.
"It's embarrassing for the players and it's embarrassing for the whole staff. We're playing well, and we're giving it everything that we can. But why are we down there? We're all asking that.”
Stead says he wants to remain with the Blue despite interest from next week’s opponents Derby County: "There's been a lot of speculation around. However, I know that there are two strikers’ places up for grabs here, not just one, because no one has been scoring that many goals.
"That's why I want to stay and fight for my place in the team. No striker has nailed it down yet.”
Elsewhere, midfielder Carlos Edwards says he is proud to have been named one of the ambassadors for England’s bid to stage the World Cup in 2008: "It's an honour and a privilege to be selected on the list of ambassadors for the England 2018 bid.
"I have played the majority of my years as a professional player in England and I have enjoyed it immensely. The game has a lot to offer here and as a player it's been a real pleasure playing in the best leagues in the world here in England.
"I think all of England would be jumping and cheering if the World Cup comes here."