Elburton 0 Argyle 12

ARGYLE made hay at Haye Road in their penultimate away pre-season friendly in this country, ratcheting up their biggest warm-up win for more than a decade in geographically their closest encounter.

A third of the goals against Carlsberg South West Peninsula League Division One hosts were claimed by David Goodwillie, who scored a 25-minute second-half hat-trick before rounding off the round dozen. Doubles were claimed by Jimmy Spencer, Graham Carey and centre-back Sonny Bradley.

As if to emphasise the underemployment of the defence in their prime role, Yann Songo’o was also on the mark in a first-half which ended with the Pilgrims 4-0 to the good, and that was before Goodwillie got going.

Jake Jervis was another striker on a scoresheet the like of which Argyle fans have not seen since the Pilgrims put 13 past Porthleven in preparation for the 1989-90 season. Goalkeeper Rhys Wilmot was so bored in that game that he played the last ten minutes as a striker, and claimed a hat-trick.

“When your strikers score goals, it gives them a boost,” said Argyle manager Derek Adams afterwards.

“Against any opposition you come up against, you have got to work the ball, you have got to play better than the opposition, and we have done that tonight. 

“When you go into a season and you are playing with confidence, it is going to help you, and we have seen a lot of players scoring goals.”

Elburton Villa: 1 Jack Dixon (Jack Horswell 70); 2 Jon Winters (capt, Lewis Jago 55), 3 Ross Hamilton, 4 Adam O’Brien (Jed Smale half-time), 5 John Styring, 6 Shaun Corben (Elliot Bawden 70), 7 Lewis Chrimes (Charlie Nichols half-time), 8 Ben Douglas (Alex Henniker 63), 9 Jacob Smale (Ryan Knight half-time), 10 Matt Slinger (Simon McClements 55), 11 Will Mathews (Kevin Yetton 66). 

Argyle (3-4-1-2): 23 Luke McCormick (capt); 5 Nauris Bulvitis (6 Connor Smith half-time), 4 Yann Songo’o, 15 Sonny Bradley (17 Jordan Bentley 75); 2 Gary Miller (11 Ryan Donaldson 63), 18 Oscar Threlkeld, 22 David Ijaha (19 Trialist A half-time), 3 Gary Sawyer (16 Ben Purrington 75); 10 Graham Carey (20 Louis Rooney 75); 7 David Goodwillie, 9 Jimmy Spencer (14 Jake Jervis 63). Substitute (not used): 21 Vincent Dorel (gk).

Referee: Adam Hopkins.

Attendance: 953.