Report: Elburton 0 Argyle 3

Elburton Villa 0
 
Argyle 3
Lecointe 18
Morgan pen 47
Reid pen 70

by RICK COWDERY
 
ARGYLE made hay in the sunshine at Haye Road, where more than 600 Plymothians turned out to see honorary Janner John Sheridan’s first pre-season game as Argyle manager.
 
Matt Lecointe gave the Pilgrims an 18th-minute lead which, after a raft of half-time substitutions, was added to by penalties from new signing Marvin Morgan and new-old signing Reuben Reid.
 
Reid and Conor Hourihane also hit the woodwork in the second half, whilst Elburton goalkeeper Simon May did much to keep the scoreline respectable. A first-half save from Ben Purrington and a late denial of Reid’s crafty free-kick were the pick of his repertoire.


 
The only downside for the Pilgrims was an injury to Finnish international trialist Tuomas Rannankari which threatens, at the very least, to interrupt his pre-season spell at Home Park.
 
Argyle had already gone close to opening the scoring through Isaac Vassell when Lecointe sprang the offside trap to outpace the South West Peninsula League side’s back line and cut a shot across May.
 
With Vassell working the right side and Lecointe and Tyler Harvey buzzing around up front, it seemed another goal would not be long in coming.
 
However, the shirt-sleeved crowd had to wait until two minutes after half-time, during which new signings Reid, Morgan, Dominic Blizzard and goalkeeper Luke McCormick were brought on, for the second strike.


 
Morgan’ s first touch as an Argyle player was to draw a foul for a penalty from which, with his second touch, he scored.
 
The woodwork and May kept the margin to two until midway through the half, when Morgan was again fouled. This time, the big fella let Reid have his moment in the sinking sun to complete the scoring.
 
Without Rannankari, and having used all of their substitutes, Argyle were obliged by the referee to play much of the second half with just ten men – a rule, one feels, that would have been more honoured in the breach, than the observance.
 
Elburton Villa (4-4-2): 1 Simon May; 2 David Barker, 5 Jon Winters (14 Billy Westlake), 6 Kevin Yetton, 3 Chris Carter; 7 Chris Clarke (17 Jed Smale), 4 Andrew Elcock (Justin Crowley), 8 Dean Smith (15 Jacob Smale), 11 Lewis Edwards (12 Mike Smith); 9 Sam Stevens (16 Joe Jasper), 10 Ray Spear.
 
Argyle, first half (4-4-2): 1 Jake Cole; 2 Maxime Blanchard, 5 Paul Wotton, 6 Martin John, 3 Tuomas Rannankari; 7 Isaac Vassell, 4 Luke Young, 8 River Allen, 11 Ben Purrington; 9 Tyler Harvey, 10 Matt Lecointe.
 
Argyle, second half (4-4-2): 23 Luke McCormick; 20 Durrell Berry, 14 Curtis Nelson, 15 Jamie Richards, 6 Martin John; 7 Isaac Vassell, 16 Dominc Blizzard, 17 Conor Hourihane, 3 Tuomas Rannankari; 18 Marvin Morgan, 19 Reuben Reid.



Photos by Dave Rowntree, sponsored by the 50-50 Lottery