Torpoint 0 Argyle 6

Torpoint AFC 0 

Argyle 6
Lameiras, Ladapo, Carey, Wylde 2, Fox 

THERE was little trouble at the Mill for Argyle, who eased to a second successive pre-season victory in four days with a second successive four-goal haul. 

Again, they played two different 11s in each half of the match against Carlsberg South West Peninsula League Premier Division opposition, and, again, they shared the goals around. 

Goals from Ruben Lameiras, in the first half, and Freddie Ladapo and Graham Carey soon after the interval, put the Pilgrims in charge of affairs. A late fourth from Gregg Wylde meant that all eight of the Pilgrims’ pre-season goals had come from a different player – before Wylde immediately destroyed the sequence he had helped create by adding a fifth. 

The ever-reliable David Fox then started a new run by becoming the ninth different scorer of ten goals.

On a difficult, bone-hard, browning, surface, Argyle enjoyed the lion’s share of first-half possession, as, indeed, they should have. 

Torpoint, though, proved obdurate opposition and, by the simple precepts of organisation and shape, managed to frustrate their guests. 

The Pilgrims’ best chance of the first half fell to Calum Dyson, whose spooning over in front of goal, just a few yards out, owed as much equally to summer rustiness and the bobbly pitch. 

Argyle’s rearguard, well marshalled by Ryan Edwards, was seldom obliged to break into more of a sweat than was being caused by the balmiest pre-season in memory. Full-backs Tafari Moore and Ashley Smith-Brown were observed more as attackers than defenders. 

The Pilgrims’ persistence eventually paid off through a solo effort from one of their more eye-catching players, Lameiras dancing down the right, cutting in and letting off a shot that appeared to catch out the otherwise competent Torpoint goalkeeper Jason Peters. 

Argyle’s second-half side took a lot less long to add to the score against hosts that their first-half colleagues had broken. 

First, Ladapo made his mark in a green and black shirt and, even as the crowd were asking ‘who was that?’, Carey added number three. 

To their credit, Torpoint regrouped after the flurry and the second half fell into the pattern of the first, with Argyle content to retain possession and look for openings – Joe Riley and Gary Sawyer as auxiliary wide midfielders – and their hosts eager to deny them. 

Which they did until the last ten minutes, when, as dusk crept in over the Tamar, Wylde added a fourth and, soon after, a fifth, before Fox claimed the sixth. 

In other words, the perfect pre-season work-out for both parties. 

Torpoint AFC: 1 Jason PETERS; 2 Jon McCREERY, 3 Sam HILL, 4 John HEVERAN, 5 Lee BEVAN (capt), 6 Josh McCABE, 7 John ALEXANDER, 8 Sam MORGAN, 9 Rory SIMMONS, 10 James ROBERTSON, 11 Steve ROGERS, 12 Danny ZALICK, 14 Connor RUSH,15 Ben WATERS, 18 Sam WEST, Luke DODDRIDGE, Rob BROWN. 

Argyle first half (4-3-3): 21 Kyle LETHEREN; 22 Tafari MOORE, 5 Ryan EDWARDS, 14 Niall CANAVAN, 23 Ashley SMITH-BROWN; 15 Conor GRANT, 4 Yann SONGO’O, 6 James NESS (capt); 16 Joel GRANT, 18 Calum DYSON, 11 Ruben LAMEIRAS. 

Argyle second half (not used): 1 Harry BURGOYNE (GK), 2 Joe RILEY, 24 Peter GRANT, 25 Scott WOOTTON, 3 Gary SAWYER (capt); 32 Cameron SANGSTER, 8 David FOX, 10 Graham CAREY; 17 Lionel AINSWORTH, 19 Freddie LADAPO, 20 Gregg WYLDE. Substitute (not used): 31 Michael COOPER (GK). 

Referee: Stuart KANE.