WESTON-SUPER-MARE 1
Brown 66

ARGYLE 1
Mullings o.g. 16

ARGYLE showed glimpses of quality in an interesting 1-1 draw at Weston-super-Mare from the Blue Square South League.

An own-goal by Darren Mullings gave the Pilgrims a deserved half-time lead and chances to increase that advantage arrived with relative regularity, but the hosts pegged back their Championship visitors with a stunning strike by Marvin Brown.

Argyle started with Romain Larrieu making his first appearance of the pre-season behind a defence that featured new signing from Colchester United, and early contender for the vacant captaincy, Karl Duguid at right-back.

Gary Sawyer filled the left-back role with Marcel Seip partnering young Shane White in the centre. Midfield duo Yoann Folly and Luke Summerfield were flanked by Jamie Mackie and Jason Puncheon. Rory Fallon and Steve MacLean formed the front pairing.

The lively Mackie presented the hosts with an early problem when he burst through the middle and nudged the ball wide for Duguid to drift in a cross. Weston dealt with the initial problem comfortably but Summerfield raised local temperatures with a fierce volley from the clearance that dipped narrowly over.

Mackie was again involved moments later with another weaving run. Duguid was ignored this time as the former Exeter man swung a curling shot towards the near post that home 'keeper Ryan Harrison parried wide.

The Weston resistance buckled on 16 minutes and Mackie, naturally, was the instigator. He fed Duguid on the right and the skipper cut inside to deliver a dipping left-foot cross that former Torquay man Mullings headed past the stranded Harrison.

The home side gradually gained a foothold in the game and came within a whisker of equalising when the troublesome Ashan Holgate found former Sheffield Wednesday winger Mark McKeever who floated a cross for Brown but, thankfully, his header drifted over.

Kiwi Fallon responded with an audition for All Black conversion-taker; finishing a sweeping Argyle move with a shot that looped high into the gloomy Weston sky.

The hosts were gifted a fantastic opportunity in first-half injury time when Brown latched onto a Seip slip but, inexplicably, he attempted an exquisite chip Eric Cantona would have shunned when a simple finish was all that was needed.

As promised, Argyle boss Paul Sturrock made household changes at the interval starting with Lloyd Saxton replacing Larrieu between the sticks.

David McNamee made his first appearance as a Pilgrim at right-back. Replacement skipper Jim Paterson acted as the other piece of bread in Luggy's defensive sandwich, with youth-team pair Ryan Brett and Ben Gerring forming a very inexperienced filling.

Chris Clark donned the senior cap in midfield with youthful exuberance provided by Damien McCrory, Dan Smith and Yala Bolasie. Jermaine Easter was joined in attack by Ashley Barnes.

Mullings soon came close to exposing Argyle's new breed and atoning for his first-half error, when he won the ball on the edge of the Argyle box and scooped a shot marginally too high.

Brown then made amends for his first-half wastefulness with a stunning equaliser, curling the ball beyond Saxton from 20 yards with the outside of his boot.

Easter could, and probably should, have restored Argyle's lead moments later but he headed Smith's cross just wide. The Welshman followed that by stinging the hands of Weston substitute 'keeper Ryan Northmore, another former Gull.

Barnes was the next to fray home nerves with a swift turn and shot that shaved Northmore's cross-bar. The same man was then denied by a goal-line clearance after nifty work from McNamee.

If Lady Luck had been shining on Northmore's goal previously, she turned into the Aurora Borealis in the dying minutes.

First, the home 'keeper rolled the ball straight to Barnes, who teed up Smith for a shot that he sliced miles wide. The chicken-counting then continued with Ben Willshire's attempted chest back to Northmore bumping off the bar and away to comparative safety.

A sharp run and shot by Bolasie was well saved to bring proceedings to a fairly satisfactory close.

Weston-super-Mare (4-4-2): Ryan Harrison (Ryan Northmore h-t); Ben Willshire, Darren Mullings, Charlie Comyn-Platt (Jamie Laird 87), Jamie Laird (Mark Armstrong 75); Dean Grubb (Jason Burt 75), James Palmer (Ryan Havard h-t), Ben Wells (Mike Green h-t), Mark McKeever; Marvin Brown (David Thorne 75), Ashan Holgate (Rodilsol Vias 63).

Argyle, first half (4-4-2): Romain Larrieu; Karl Duguid, Marcel Seip, Shane White, Gary Sawyer; Jamie Mackie, Yoann Folly, Luke Summerfield, Jason Puncheon; MacLean, Fallon.

Argyle, second half (4-4-2): Lloyd Saxton; David McNamee, Ryan Brett, Ben Gerring, Jim Paterson; Yala Bolasie, Chris Clark, Damien McCrory, Dan Smith; Jermaine Easter, Ashley Barnes.

Booked: Gerring 61.

Attendance: 448.