'Outstanding' Edwards impresses in big Argyle win

Plymouth Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley says captain Joe Edwards was "outstanding" in his side's 5-2 win over League One over leaders Cardiff City.

While strikers Lorent Tolaj and Bim Pepple each scored twice, Cleverley was keen to point out the contribution of the club's longest-serving player who had a hand in the Pilgrims' first two goals.

"When you want to deliver a gameplan that's front foot, aggressive, risk taking and then quality in transition and managing periods of the game that needed managing, he delivered it to a tee," Cleverley said of the 35-year-old.

"It's one of those performances, you're not comfortable picking out an individual, but if you were today you'd pick the skipper.

"He's doing it over and over again week in, week out.

"The first goal comes from a Joe turnover and for me it's one of the best goals we've scored this season.

"It's everything we are at the minute, we're aggressive in wide areas, we turn the ball over a hell of a lot and in transition.

"We didn't quite show it against Leyton Orient, but today we were clinical in transition against a really good side."

The form of Pepple and Tolaj has been equally impressive.

Pepple has scored eight goals in his past nine games, including five in his past four appearances, thriving while Tolaj was out with an injury.

But the Swiss forward's double against Cardiff took his tally to 17 for Argyle this season.

Having changed to more of a 4-4-2 system in recent weeks following the signing of winger Ronan Curtis, Pepple in particular has impressed, having had a difficult start to life at Argyle after his summer move from Luton Town.

"The system change, the introduction of Ronan and how many crosses he puts in the box are all factors, but we're high in confidence at the minute and that partnership's flourishing," Cleverley told BBC Radio Devon.

"The work that they do out of possession for this team, probably the work that the crowd don't see, is incredibly important and they have to keep believing that."

Tolaj made his first start in almost a month, after suffering a dead leg in January's win over Luton Town, as Caleb Watts moved back into midfield and Owen Dale dropped to the bench.

Cleverley said it was a justified move as Tolaj opened the scoring with an excellent 28th-minute strike.

"It was a tough decision leaving out someone who's started in the last two wins," he added.

"But I think these real big occasions are made for your biggest players and Tolly's our top goalscorer, he's our number nine and I had to get him in the team somehow.

"So he's rewarded that decision with two great goals. I thought he grew into the game, he started a little bit rusty but the first goal settled him down and then they [Tolaj and Pepple] were just a real, real handful for their defenders."