Having brought him over from Ireland and coached him in the Youth Team, Darren Sarll says he couldn’t be prouder of Dale Gorman after the midfielder signed a new contract this week.
Gorman has been a regular in the starting XI this season and Sarll was full of praise for the way he has developed.
“It is great for Dale and great for us. I think Dale has grown and the experience he gained last year helping us fight a relegation battle was really important to see his inner strength, desire and determination as a young player.
“This year he has really kicked on. He has played wide in a midfield four, full back a couple of times and in the last couple of games I have deployed him in the middle which is his preferred position and I think he has done absolutely brilliant.
“I am really proud of him.”
Another young player that has had plenty of minutes this season is Henry Cowans who extended his loan from Aston Villa until the end of the season.
“I think Henry has been fantastic for us. I think he gets a bit of a rough ride, especially when we play at home.
“Inadvertently, I think Henry Cowans has helped Dale Gorman and Dale Gorman has hopefully helped Henry Cowans. Because they are so different in the way they play the game, I think they have both rubbed off on each other.
“Henry was desperate to stay and we were desperate to keep Henry. When it is as easy as that, it gets done in the blink of an eye. I am really pleased he is here until the end of the season and he will certainly see plenty of game time between now and then.”
Away trips in League Two don’t get much tougher than at Home Park with Plymouth vying for an automatic promotion spot.
Despite their being a lot of attention on their FA Cup clash with Liverpool on Wednesday, Sarll doesn’t think they will be distracted.
“They have got a massive game against Stevenage on Saturday as well. If they want to get into League one they have got to deal with Stevenage before they deal with Liverpool. They will have to draw their focus to us.
“I thought the last game was a close encounter but I don’t think we played offensively in the manner that I like. We committed two silly errors from set pieces but it is an opportunity for us to right some wrongs.
“It is important we leave Plymouth with not only our fans but their fans seeing what a good side we are. I don’t think we showcased that in our home game.
“We like playing away from home and it is a massive club. Plymouth v Stevenage is a little David v Goliath type situation when you see 10,000 that they have had there this year. It will hopefully be a decent game.”