Goalscorers Conor Hourihane and Ronan Murray praise Green Army for their support after Plymouth Argyle's crucial win against Barnet

GOALSCORING heroes Conor Hourihane and Ronan Murray praised the Green Army for their support after Plymouth Argyle's crucial 2-1 win against Barnet at Home Park on Saturday.

There was an attendance of 8,210 for what turned out to be an absorbing and tense bottom-of-the-table League Two scrap.

The Herald had led appeals for the fans to turn out in force for the fixture and they did.

That created a vibrant atmosphere inside Home Park and Argyle responded with one of their better performances of recent times.

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Barnet took the early but Hourihane equalised with a superb 20-yard strike and Murray scored the decisive second goal soon after half-time.

The attendance was the second highest of the season, behind only the 10,003 for the Devon derby against Torquay United on Boxing Day.

The Family Zone For All, at the corner of the Lyndhurst and Barn Park stands, was packed with parents and their excited children.

The offer for an adult ticket holder to take an under-18 to the game for free, provided they had a copy of The Herald, proved popular.

Argyle had not won any of their previous three home games and they were desperate to pick up maximum points against Barnet.

"It's a massive win," said Hourihane. "I'm delighted for the fans. It's nice that we got a couple of thousand extra and we showed them a bit more spirit.

"Hopefully, they will all come back for the next home game."

The 21-year-old Argyle captain continued: "It's up to us to get the fans on our side. Sometimes they turn against us, but that's part and parcel of football.

"You just have to step up and get on with it. Last time out against Oxford they probably deserved to turn against us, and Saturday they were with us.

"It's nice to get a win, especially with the club and people around the club doing a lot of work to bring people in.

"I have heard about people who were coming here for the first time. There was some nice football and they have seen some goals. Hopefully, they will come back."

Murray's winning goal was his first since signing on loan from Championship club Ipswich Town in January.

He said: "I thought the atmosphere was brilliant. We gave the fans something more to shout about.

"I can't fault them since I have been here. They have been brilliant."

Argyle manger John Sheridan, who played at the highest level in domestic and international football, echoed the sentiments of Hourihane and Murray.

He said: "The fans are brilliant. The support the players get is unbelievable for a club who are bottom of the League.

"I have played at some big clubs – Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday – where they have got massive support, but these fans are phenomenal.

"For someone who is bottom of the League to get 8,000 is scary."

The attendance was boosted by a series of cut-price ticket offers to encourage fans – and especially families – to attend the game.

Even so, it was nearly 2,000 higher than at any of the other 11 fixtures in League Two on Saturday.

In contrast to Argyle, the gates at Accrington Stanley and Dagenham and Redbridge were both below 2,000.