
This really was a missed opportunity to capitalise on Sheffield United’s surprise defeat last night. It was a below par performance but sloppy play at the back cost us the three points.
BEFORE
Plymouth are rock bottom of the league and were hammered 5-0 at home by Burnley the other night and although I’m expecting us to win today, I’m trying to dispel dreams of us winning 6-0. That might happen if everything finally clicks for once but I think a more modest victory is likely as we’ll have to battle past their two lines of defenders. They’ve beaten us once this season of course so revenge has to be taken for that. Apart from Alese’s long-term injury, I’m not aware of any other injuries or suspensions so the side shouldn’t be much different from that which started at Derby. I’ll not be at the game so it’ll have to be SAFSEE for me. Match prediction: 2-0 to us.
I got the team-news around 2.00 and saw that Rigg was being given a rest and Abdul Samed was starting in his place. Ex-Sunderland player Mumba was starting for them. I got the commentary online and awaited developments.
THE MATCH
We had most of the possession in the opening fifteen minutes with Neil having a shot blocked in the opening minute and Le Fee also being denied four minutes later. Next thing we won the first corner but it came to nothing, as so often. Randell had a long distance effort saved by Patto. Sorinola was down injured for a while and then play resumed. Soon Plymouth won their first corner and I could imagine that some of our fans would be getting a bit frustrated that we weren’t a goal or two up already. In the twenty-fourth O’Nien set up Enzo before he went on a good run but his pass went just behind Neil.
The first yellow card of the game came in the twenty-eighth for a foul by Pleguezuelo on Enzo. Neil hit a good strike from twenty yards out that forced Hazard into a good save and we won our second corner. We took it short and Plymouth got the ball away but our fans thought that Bundu had fouled. He certainly seemed to be in the thick of everything and Plymouth sounded like they were taking no prisoners. Half-time was approaching all too quickly but we were having trouble finding a way through their defence. Four minutes before the break a strong Cirkin header was well saved by Hazard so we were managing the occasional effort on target at least. A great cross from Roberts was whipped in by Hume before it was put out by Sorinola for our third corner. This resulted in a header by Cirkin hitting the side-netting.
There was only a minute of added-time but we managed to get another corner. Enzo took it and Hazard fumbled before it went out for another corner. Before it was taken Mepham was given a good talking-to by referee Oliver Langford. Nothing came of the corner and the half-time whistle promptly went. Plymouth had done what they wanted to do and had largely frustrated our attackers. Isidor had barely had a mention so far.
We started the second period on the attack and in the forty-eighth Roberts had a good opportunity but he couldn’t connect with the ball and it went begging. Next thing Houghton cleared a Cirkin effort and then suddenly Plymouth had a really good chance but Hardy headed wide from six yards out when he really should have done better. The game was starting to go from end to end and in the fifty-eighth Hardy squeezed the ball past Patto and we were 1-0 down. The assistant ref didn’t acknowledge it but the referee’s watch beeped and that was that. The BBC had it down as a Patto own-goal. That wasn’t exactly in the script but things soon changed when in the sixtieth Isidor hit a Hume cross into the bottom-left corner and we were level. Immediately afterwards Mayenda came on for Abdul Samed and our fans had really come alive again. It sounded like Plymouth had gone with three upfront so it was shaping to be an exciting final twenty-five minutes or so.
In the seventieth Plymouth had a great chance when Wright hit a shot that clipped a post and went to safety. A few minutes later, though, we took the lead and it was Hume who hit it into the bottom-left corner following a free-kick. With a goal and an assist he’d done very well. Not long afterwards we took off Roberts and Cirkin and replaced them with Ballard and Rigg. I’d read a number of comments earlier about how strong our bench was looking and those changes were an indication of this. Plymouth made four changes at the same time as they decided to really go for it. Mepham put the ball into touch as he needed some treatment – it sounded like he had a nosebleed. Ten minutes to go plus a good dollop of added-time and could we hold onto the lead or maybe increase it? Plymouth won their second corner with around five minutes to go and the ball bounced across our box without an attacker getting a foot on it but it sounded like we were getting sloppy. Then we brought on Hjelde for Isidor to shore things up at the back.
Plymouth was doing a lot of pressing and in the last minute they equalised when Ogbeta smashed a shot into the top-right corner following a free-kick. Once again we’d failed to see a game out. Six minutes of added-time were announced and Plymouth were going for a winner. We fought back and in the ninety-fifth Mayenda had a great chance to get the winner for us but he miskicked it and then he hit a chance straight at Hazard in goal… It ended 2-2 to a lot of booing.