Sunday 23 October 2011

DI CANIO BACKS PILGRIMS TO STAY UP

Despite seeing his Swindon Town side defeat Plymouth Argyle, Robins boss Paolo Di Canio has backed the Pilgrims to avoid relegation from League Two.

An 82nd minute effort from his fellow country man Raffaele De Vita secured the points for Swindon, but Di Canio backed the Pilgrims to beat the drop and drew parrallels between the Pilgrims' current off-field plight and his own experiences as a player with Napoli that saw him go without pay.

He said: "When I first saw Plymouth, I thought 'I can't wait to play them' because I thought we would easily get three points.

"But, in the last few games, I have realised that Plymouth are a completely different team and they don't deserve to stay at the bottom with the quality and players that they have got.

"If they play with this quality and desire then they will stay up.

"Plymouth, because they play with this quality and this desire, can win many games at home and the job they have to do is finish above two teams.

"When I was at Napoli, we did not get paid for seven months and we qualified for the UEFA Cup and at the end of the season, the fans celebrated like we had won the World Cup.

"It was one of my most incredible seasons in football and I hope Plymouth can do the same."