Sturrock is planning to restructure at Plymouth in the summer

Plymouth Argyle manager Paul Sturrock has spoken of his relief after the Pilgrims' Championship status was confirmed for another season.

Norwich City's home defeat by Reading on Monday ensures Argyle are now safe from the drop.

Sturrock told BBC Radio Devon: "It was important that it was done and dusted and not taken into the last game."

Norwich could still escape relegation by overtaking Barnsley, who are fourth-from-bottom in the Championship.

Plymouth play Barnsley in the final game of the season at Home Park on Sunday afternoon but Sturrock will be treating the game like any other league match.

"We've got to be respective of Norwich and Barnsley," Sturrock said. "We will play the game very competitively, as I would expect those two to do if we were in the same position."

Sturrock is already planning for next season, which will be Plymouth's fifth consecutive year in the Championship.

"The next three weeks are vitally important," he added. "I want to restructure the club internally to be more like the way it was in the past.

"Now is the time to put changes, concerning routines and rules and regulations, in place."

A special mention was reserved for Plymouth's fans who at one point saw their side go 16 games with just one win.

"The fans have been fantastic," Sturrock said. "They've backed the team right to the hilt, they've done their booing at the right time and the away support has been absolutely different class all season."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version