‘I know Paul Mitchell’ - Newcastle United helped Plymouth Argyle thwart Sunderland - here’s how
Plymouth Argyle manager Miron Muslic has revealed Paul Mitchell allowed him to use Newcastle United’s training ground before drawing 1-1 with Sunderland.
Storm Eowyn caused hell across the country ahead of the weekend fixtures, with the Pilgrims forced to rethink their travel plans. An 800-mile-round trip is the furthest in the Championship and Plymouth travelled a day earlier than expected.
With nowhere to train, Argyle, sitting rock bottom of the division, leaned on Newcastle to ease their preparations before a tricky trip to Wearside. Ironically, the Magpies were on the south coast readying up for a Premier League clash with Southampton.
Toon sporting director green-lit the proposal and Plymouth earned a surprise point at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland went into the clash as heavy favourites but saw their automatic promotion hopes dented.
Nathanael Ogbeta’s stoppage-time strike rescued a point to make the country-wide journey worthwhile. As the Black Cats’ bitter rivals, it also justified Newcastle’s helping hand with the training setup.
Plymouth boss Muslic joked post-match that he “kept his word” to Mitchell that Plymouth would get a result. He said: “We came up a day early. I used my contacts, I know Paul Mitchell at Newcastle United, and we used the training facilities there.
“They gave us everything we needed so we actually used this storm to work on the pitch and we also stayed together for two days. We could do some tactical work and some video analysis, but also just get to know each other a bit more.
“In the end, a possible disadvantage turned into an advantage for us. The only thing they told me was that we cannot lose the game, so I have kept my word to them.”