Argyle began the year, and concluded a turbulent couple of days, with a draw at home to Bristol City, earned with another trademark late goal.  

Under temporary management duo Kevin Nancekivell and Joe Edwards, and in front of over 17,000 inside Home Park, the Greens looked up for the battle, especially in the first half, but still trailed at the break through an Anis Mehmeti goal.  

Rami Al Hajj scored a deserved equaliser after the break, but parity was short-lived, as City captain Jason Knight scored what looked for a long time like a winning goal. However, Julio Pleguezuelo popped up in stoppage time to force the ball over the line, and grab a point for the Pilgrims.  

There was one change of personnel in the Argyle starting 11, with Pleguezuelo coming into the side for Lewis Gibson, but there was also a change of shape to the side. In front of goalkeeper Conor Hazard, Pleguezuelo entered at the heart of a back three, with Brendan Galloway and Kornel Szucs either side, and Matty Sorinola and Bali Mumba acting as wing-backs.  

In midfield, Adam Randell – captaining the side – and Darko Gyabi anchored things, with Morgan Whittaker and Rami Al Hajj playing in support of frontman Ryan Hardie.  

Argyle had the game’s first big chance. On nine minutes, Al Hajj wriggled and earned some room 20 yards out. City goalkeeper Max O’Leary saved but could only parry. Hardie reacted first and followed up, but steered his effort over the bar.  

It was a glorious opportunity missed, but it was a good sign. Within a minute, a long ball from the back beat the City backline, and Hardie was onto it again, but could not quite take the ball in. The fact that Argyle’s number nine was finding space was an early positive.  

He was on the end of another move, which was patiently built up from the back, and saw a Sorinola cross flicked goalwards by Hardie. City cleared as far as Whittaker, whose curling shot was on target, but pouched by O’Leary.  

The Robins, for their part, were bright too. In the first half an hour, one could not cite an obvious opportunity on goal for the visitors, but that was largely due to Argyle’s three central defenders making interjections at crucial times, as City’s creative forces such as Mehmeti and Scott Twine sought to craft a way through, but were denied.  

At the other end, the story was almost the opposite, but with a similar lack of potency. Where City conceptually threatened, but failed to work a chance, Argyle had a little run of shots on target, with Al Hajj and Gyabi to the fore, but each were facile for O’Leary.  

On 32 minutes, City got it right. It came from a precise pass through the middle by Max Bird, picking out the central run of Nahki Wells. Hazard was forced to emerge from his area to narrow the angle, but Wells slipped a lateral pass to Mehmeti, who rolled into an empty net.  

Argyle got Hardie through again, six minutes after going behind, and though his shot was blocked, Argyle recycled the ball well, and it took a tremendous piece of defending by Rob Dickie to repel an equally good Sorinola cross. Had the block not come, Whittaker would have had the easiest of tasks in knocking in the equaliser.  

City lost their left wing-back to injury before the interval – don’t carry on, Cam Pring – and Argyle had a late opportunity from a free-kick which Randell fizzed into the throat of Jason Knight. Slightly oddly, after the referee stopped play for treatment to Knight – understandably – the restart gave the ball directly to the goalkeeper – harder to understand - and then the whistle was blown immediately.  

At half-time, the stats told that City had managed just one shot on target to Argyle’s four, but the Robins were the ones who had made it count.  

A minute after the restart, and City had a second shot on target and, were it not for Hazard, would have had a second goal. Wells met a right-wing cross beautifully on the volley, and his effort looked goalbound, but Hazard reacted and pushed the powerful shot away from goal.  

It cost City, because Argyle reacted perfectly and scored their equalising goal through the best move of the match.  

A key moment in the build was Szucs stepping out from the back and working the ball wide to Sorinola, who quickly steered into Whittaker’s path. 

Whittaker worked his way down the line, and when the left-footed number 10 went on the outside, City failed to deal with his advance. On his right foot, Whittaker steered a ball to the far post, where Al Hajj was arriving.  

Al Hajj was in space, but still had some work to do, as the way the ball fell meant he would have to take it on the half-volley, but he did so really well, and drove into the bottom corner.  

Tails up, Argyle pushed on, and Whittaker went oh-so-close from range, as O’Leary acrobatically tipped onto the crossbar. Then, Randell delivered an inviting free-kick from the right, but unfortunately no-one RSVP-ed.  

City then renewed their efforts to spoil the party when they went back in front. It was a nice move, with Wells and Twine involved, releasing the third-man run of Knight. As Hazard advanced, Knight delicately clipped over him, and into the net.  

Going behind a second time hurt Argyle, and they found it difficult to create as well as they had done earlier in the game. Mehmeti stung Hazard’s palms with an effort having again broken through the centre, and City gave a general air of confidence.  

Argyle tried to break that by bringing on Michael Obafemi, then Ibrahim Cissoko, returning after a 10-week absence, but City were resolute and organised, and looked the side more likely to get the game’s next goal.  

But no-one expected the Spanish intervention.  

Pleguezuelo picked the perfect time to score his first goal in an Argyle shirt, doing so shortly into stoppage time. A Randell free-kick from the right took a couple of diversions in the area before seemingly hanging in the air inside the six-yard area. Pleguezuelo flung out a leg and flicked into the net in front of a jubilant Babcock Devonport End, giving Argyle a point that, frankly, the narrative of the day seemed to warrant.  

As well as getting on the scoresheet, one should note a moment, as the game neared a conclusion, when Sam Bell looked to be breaking forward for City, and Pleguezuelo fulfilled defensive duties to, getting a foot in to stop an attack.  

¡Feliz año nuevo!  

Argyle: 21 Conor Hazard, 2 Bali Mumba (7 Ibrahim Cissoko, 75), 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 6 Kornel Szucs, 9 Ryan Hardie (14 Michael Obafemi, 72), 10 Morgan Whittaker, 18 Darko Gyabi, 20 Adam Randell (capt), 22 Brendan Galloway, 28 Rami Al Hajj (19 Andre Gray, 86), 29 Matty Sorinola. Substitutes: 31 Daniel Grimshaw (gk), 3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 4 Jordan Houghton, 27 Adam Forshaw, 39 Tegan Finn, 44 Victor Palsson. 

Goals: Al Hajj 50, Pleguezuelo 90 

Booked: Sorinola 65  

Bristol City: 1 Max O’Leary, 3 Cameron Pring (24 Haydon Roberts, 42), 6 Max Bird, 10 Scott Twine (7 Yu Hirakawa, 61), 11 Anis Mehmeti (40 George Earthy, 83), 12 Jason Knight (capt), 14 Zak Vyner, 15 Luke McNally, 16 Rob Dickie, 19 George Tanner (2 Ross McCrorie, 61), 21 Nahki Wells (20 Sam Bell, 61). Substitutes: 23 Stefan Basic (gk), 5 Rob Atkinson, 9 Fally Mayulu, 29 Marcus McGuane. 

Goals: Mehmeti 32, Knight 56 

Referee: Tim Robinson 

Attendance: 17,005 (1,734 away)