Looking the Part

As Lewis Alessandra returned to Home Park, it would be fair to say there were a few murmurs from the Green Army, who are all too aware of Lewi’s talents, that the York striker may well find the net against the club that used to employ him.

 

However, the former Pilgrim was kept quiet for large parts of the game; to which Argyle’s centre back pairing of Peter Hartley and Curtis Nelson deserve great credit for. Lewi didn’t cause too much trouble for the Pilgrim rear guard, although his ability was still apparent.

 

The irony of the afternoon has to be that on the day Reuben Reid’s old strike partner returned to Home Park, the Pilgrims' number nine ignited a relationship with a new one, as Reuben and Jamille Matt got the better of the York City defence on Easter Monday.

 

The Pilgrims came out as 3-2 winners against York, with Reuben and Jamille both netting for Argyle, and with the Greens going into half-time 3-0 up.York pulled two goals back and made a go of it in the second-half, but the Pilgrims in truth always looked likely to come out with the three points.

 

The damage was done in the first-half, as Jamille and Reuben terrorised a York defence that has shipped the most goals in Sky Bet League 2: 74. The warning signs of what was to come began after about quarter of an hour, as Jordon Forster played a long through ball which Jamille latched onto first with his pace, to go one on one with Scott Flinders, who managed to make the save.

 

There was little that Flinders could do just over five minutes later when a ball from Gary Sawyer was won in the box by Reuben who headed down to Jamille for Argyle’s opener.

 

It took less than ten minutes until Argyle’s deadly duo were at it again, as Reuben played a superb defence-splitting pass to Jamille, who was brought down by Dave Winfield on the half-hour mark to win Argyle a penalty. Reuben put Argyle 2-0 up, rifling into the roof of the net, giving Flinders no chance.

 

Will Boyce headed into his own net for Argyle’s third, before Bradley Fewster - Lewi’s strike partner at York - got booked for tripping Forster in frustration, during a half that got no better for the Minstermen.

 

The second-half saw improvement from York, with Lewi, who had been kept quiet throughout the first-half finally getting onto the ball for the relegation-threatened visitors. However to pick up the ball, Lewi had to drop deeper, almost into midfield and therefore lacked the threat he may have had in a better side.

 

Despite being a different player to Lewi, Jamille possesses many of the same talents as the 27-year-old former Pilgrim. They are both fast and hard-working, which goes a long way to how both seem to easily play alongside Reuben.

 

Jamille spoke after the game against York about his blossoming partnership with Reuben which was ever-present in Argyle’s first two goals. With seven games left until the end of the season, Argyle may just have found their winning formula at the right time.