Fallon To Face Swans?

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TAKEN FROM THE WESTERN DAILY PRESS (www.thisiscornwall.co.uk)

Plymouth Argyle manager Ian Holloway has asked supporters of the Pilgrims to be patient with the club's joint record-signing Rory Fallon.The tall target man cost the Coca- Cola Championship outfit a fee of £300,000 when they signed him from League One team Swansea City in January this year. That equals the highest sum of money the Devon team have ever paid for a player. Central defender Peter Swan moved for the same sum when he was purchased from Port Vale by the Pilgrims in July 1994.

Swan did not enjoy a successful career at Home Park, but Holloway is in no rush to make any judgements about Fallon's prowess in a Pilgrims' shirt. The 25-year-old New Zealander may not have claimed a regular place in Argyle's starting XI, but the gaffer gave three good reasons for that.

The performances of Barry Hayles, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and, to a lesser extent, Kevin Gallen have meant that Fallon has had to bide his time. He scored his first Argyle goal on his second appearance in a Pilgrims' shirt, in the 2-1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion at the end of January, but since that night at The Hawthorns he has taken part in 12 matches without finding the net.

Only five of Fallon's total of 14 games so far for Argyle have been starting appearances, however. He has spent far more time on the substitutes' bench than on the pitch in first-team fixtures, and has had to watch other strikers lead the line for the Pilgrims. "It's an occupational hazard, isn't it," Holloway declared. "If you've got a team that's winning, then you keep it winning, don't you?" Argyle have won none of the five fixtures which Fallon has begun, and his most recent starting appearance came on a very unhappy night for the Pilgrims. That was when they were thrashed 4-0 at Burnley at the start of this month. "We had that week from hell," Holloway added, "with the travelling [to Ipswich, Burnley and Leeds] and the goals that went in our net in the three defeats. "When you put it all together, that wasn't the best and Rory was involved in the worst one of the week from hell, wasn't he? It was nowhere near the best performance of his life at Burnley, but we've done other things with the [fitness] testing and what have you. "Rory needs to catch up with where Rory needs to be," the Argyle boss added. "but there's nothing wrong with him. He's a different option and in certain games I don't think I've needed that option, or the form of someone else has kept him out." Asked if Fallon's state of fitness at the time of his arrival from Swansea was not what Holloway had expected, the Pilgrims' chief responded: "No, I wouldn't put it that way. There are things that we want him to do and ways that we want him to do them. "He was brought for the future," the Bristolian stressed. "He's been given a contract for this season and two years more and that's what it's all about." Fallon will face some of his former team-mates if he is named in Argyle's reserve team for their Pontin's Holidays Combination trip to face Swansea's second XI tomorrow (7pm). The match will take place at the Remax stadium in Port Talbot. Holloway has not yet decided how strong a side he will send to south Wales. He said: "I've deliberately weakened the reserve team [by sending players out on loan] to have a look at some of the young lads who are coming up for contract decisions, and to get other players some games. "One or two need to play, in my opinion" the Argyle boss added. "I'm thinking of Rory, Cherno [Samba] and Ashley Barnes." Bojan Djordjic has had less match practice than most members of the Argyle squad since his recovery from the fractured cheekbone which he sustained in January, but another injury setback means that the winger will play no part in tomorrow's reserve fixture and may not be available for selection for Saturday's Championship home game against Preston North End.