Argyle 1
Patterson 90

Carlisle United 1
Harte 68

by RICK COWDERY

ARGYLE rescued a point in dramatic fashion after Rory Patterson celebrated his home debut with a sweet finish on the turn.

The Northern Ireland international, who returned to Plymouth only late on Thursday after midweek international duty in Montenegro, scored in the fourth of four minutes of injury-time to rescue a point for the Pilgrims.

Up until then, a goal from Ian Harte, Carlisle's leading goalscorer last season, had appeared to have proved the difference between the two sides, the former Leeds dead-ball specialist striking, not from a penalty or free-kick, but with his head, midway through the second half.

For the Pilgrims, whose season started more or less perfectly a week earlier, it was an afternoon of great frustration and, as Dave Smith would have observed, Patterson's goal covered up a multitude of sins.

What remains as an absolute must is to reverse poor form at Home Park that has now not witnessed a victory since mid-March. On the positive side, this draw broke a run of four successive defeats.

Argyle manager Peter Reid had reverted to the starting 11 that had beaten Southampton seven days previously, having made six changes for the home midweek Carling Cup exit at the hands of Notts County.

David Button returned in goal, while the right-half of the back four saw Bondz N'Gala and Krisztián Timár restored. Captain Carl Fletcher and Luke Summerfield, match-winner at St Mary's, came back into the midfield, and Steve MacLean, who laid on Summerfield's three-point conversion, was preferred to Bradley Wright-Phillips in attack.

Wright-Phillips was not included in the 18-man match-day squad for the second successive league game - completing a fairly miserable week for the male members of his family - while other notable absentees from the substitutes' bench included Karl Duguid, Réda Johnson and Marcel Seip.

Carlisle manager Greg Abbott, who learned part of his trade under Reid at Leeds United, fielded an unchanged side for the third successive game, his only change coming on the bench, where Brian Bowman replaced Jason Price.

Abbott's side contained five of his summer signings, including former Ivory Coast youth international Francois Zoko at the head of a midfield diamond behind strikers Gary Madine and Craig Curran.

Another of the new Cumbrians was on-loan Manchester United central defender James Chester, who spent two and half games at Home Park last campaign before injury prematurely curtailed his stay in the Westcountry.

It is doubtful whether Chester ever got as far up the pitch during his brief time as a Green as he did in the opening minutes of this game, when his near-post shot brought a pin-sharp save out of Button.

Argyle lived dangerously at the back, initially, and, had the match been a Championship game and not League 1, might have found themselves an early goal down.

The Greens were not without their early moments either. Three times, Rory Fallon, shamefully jeered by elements within his own side's support when the teams were announced, extended Cumbrians' 'keeper Adam Collin.

The New Zealander's pot shots seemed to have a settling effect on the Pilgrims, who started to pass the ball around their opponents with embarrassing ease. That, in turn, led to a succession of crosses and corners that stretched Carlisle.

The previous Tuesday's cup-tie had seen a similar passage of early dominance which had been totally undermined by County's early goal, and, with six of the Pilgrims' last seven games ending 1-0, 0-1, 1-0, 1-1, 1-0 and 0-1, you felt it imperative that Argyle kept the Cumbrians out until they had scored at least twice.

Reid had warned his players against giving away 'needless' free-kicks because of the danger posed by Carlisle's set-piece specialist Harte, and his words proved to be prophetic, if unheeded.

Harte was permitted a free shot on goal from 30 yards, pretty well straight on, after Timár fouled, and it took Button to be as bright as his surname to make one of those saves that you feel he has reached behind him to claw away and preserve parity.

Reid swapped one Rory for the other eight minutes from half-time in what appeared to be a tactical switch and one which naturally delighted Fallon's voluble detractors.

Certainly, the Pilgrims had lost their previous momentum as was evidenced when Carlisle threatened through a right-wing move that saw James Berrett send a tame shot into Button's belly.

Argyle responded with a rare shot on target, with Fletcher's thumping drive nearly causing Collin to spill the ball to the Pilgrims' advantage, but nearlies do not count in football and the two teams reached the interval each with a their goal intact.

Argyle returned for the second 45 with Spurs midfielder Dean Parrett in place of Summerfield, the Spurs youngster making his Greens' debut just a few days after moving from White Hart Lane on loan.

Parrett failed to breathe significant life into the Pilgrims' rather laboured attempts to reach the Carlisle 18-yard box, obliging Reid to use his final substitute, Joe Mason, just after the hour.

However, it was Carlisle's first substitution that turned the game. Within a minute of coming on, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson ended a period of opposition pressure with a shot into the Argyle penalty area that bounced up for Harte to head home.

It was not until the last 15 minutes of the 90 that Argyle succeeded in picking up the pace to a level at which they looked capable of possibly forcing an equaliser.

Patterson finally forced Collin into a save, the ball arriving at his feet by fluke, rather than creation, and the Northern Ireland international then fired a shot just wide with Collin apparently unperturbed.

Greens heads were sinking low when Patterson swooped brilliantly on a bouncing ball to steer left-footed saviour beyond the now-very perturbed Collin.

Argyle (4-4-2): 31 David Button; 3 Bondz N'Gala, 23 Krisztián Timár, 11 Kári Árnason, 34 Lee Molyneux; 20 Luke Summerfield (36 Dean Parrett half-time), 4 Carl Fletcher (capt), 21 Anton Peterlin, 15 Onismor Bhasera; 32 Steve MacLean (16 Joe Mason 62), 14 Rory Fallon (8 Rory Patterson 37). Substitutes (not used): 1 Romain Larrieu (gk), 6 Chris Clark, 17 Craig Noone, 29 Jim Paterson.

Booked: Molyneux 43.

Carlisle United (4-4-2): 1 Adam Collin; 2 Frankie Simek, 24 James Chester, 14 Ian Harte, 3 Sean McDaid; 11 Paul Thirlwell, 12 Tom Taiwo, 21 James Berrett, 13 Francois Zoko (4 Marc Bridge-Wilkinson 67); 15 Craig Curran, 19 Gary Madine. Substitutes (not used): 6 Peter Murphy, 7 Kevan Hurst, 10 Matty Robson, 16 Tony Kane, 22 Brian Bowman, 23 Tony Caig (gk).

Booked: Berrett 47.

Referee: Roger East.

Attendance: 7,782 (312 away).