Tom Cleverley: Plymouth Argyle boss to target defence after Devon derby defeat

Plymouth Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley says his side must work on their defensive foundations if they are to improve, after their Devon derby loss at Exeter City.

The Pilgrims were booed off by those Argyle fans who stayed until the end of the 2-0 loss at St James Park.

A disallowed goal in the opening minutes was the best chance Argyle had until a late shot by substitute Owen Dale, as Exeter dominated their first win over Plymouth in six years.

Cleverley, whose side remain in the relegation places, says until his team can be sound at the back they will not be able to be as creative going forward:

"I think we're not defensively stable enough to build anything from," he told BBC Sport.

"So when the opposition has to do very little to score, then that's a hard foundation for a football team to build from.

"The most successful teams I've ever played in build their confidence and their flair from knowing that everything is solid.

"So that's what we have to work on now - we're just giving ourselves no foundation to build in football matches, and creatively we weren't good enough today either, but my priority moving forward how to improve this team will be to make us more defensively solid."

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