Alex Hartridge’s dream debut moment, heading home a goal which was essentially a winner, against his former team, was the perfect way to kick off 2026/27.
Hartridge got his goal seconds into injury time, after a tense game looked like it was going to finish as a stalemate, and sent us into the extra tension of penalties. Instead, very shortly after Ethan Sutherland had been sent off, Hartridge got the Greens in front, and Bim Pepple provided a coup de grace to seal a 2-0 win, giving Argyle a second-round tie at home to Coventry City.
It would be of little surprise to know that Argyle lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, but there were a couple of little aspects of note.
One was that Will Evans made his Argyle debut, three days after signing, coming straight into the side to play up front with Bim Pepple. Owen Oseni, having looked sharp in pre-season, rather unfortunately missed out through injury.
Another observation was on Argyle’s flanks. That it was Ronan Curtis and Xavier Amaechi out wide was hardly a shock. However, it was of interest Amaechi started on the left, with Curtis on the right, given the left-footed Amaechi’s proclivity to play on the other wing, and cut in on his favoured foot.
The central-midfield duo featured one man who played every single league game last season – Malachi Boateng – alongside another debutant, Harvey White. In the backline, former Grecian Hartridge made his Green bow at left-back, with Wes Harding, captaining the side, on the right. Alex Mitchell and Mathias Ross renewed their acquaintance in the middle of the defence, with Murphy Cooper behind them in nets for the first time, competitively.
A quarter of the game in, if someone had called you, it might have been a familiar sort of Derby-day conversation. “What’s the game like?” “Yeah, pretty good. Great atmosphere, few tackles going in, Argyle are playing ok.”
“Many chances?” “No, not really.”
Argyle had had the best of the opening 22 minutes or so, the game being played far more in Exeter’s half than at the other end, but nothing was really being clipped up for any highlights packages. The moments that got the most reaction from the crowd were things like a crunching – and fair – Harding tackle on around ten minutes.
Steadly, goalmouths started to see more action. It began when Exeter failed to properly clear an Amaechi cross, with the ball dropping to Pepple in a wide area. His low return evaded several in the area, until Curtis was able to turn it goalwards, but he did not get the requisite power, and goalkeeper Jack Bycroft saved the on-target diversion.
Moments later, Exeter had their first venture forward of note. Some quick play sent Andrew Oluwabori away down the right, and his cross, at speed, went into a dangerous area, but Ross was able to ease Jayden Wareham away from the ball, and it was panic over.
City managed a shot, albeit off target, on 28 minutes. A weak free-kick was cleared, but a return ball caused more consternation, and although Charlie Cummins’ shot was not clear, it was a reminder that the visitors were in the game.
Just after the half-hour mark came a more frantic period befitting a game such as this. It began with a poor Exeter clearance being knocked into Pepple, who hit a low shot on target. Bycroft saved, but did not repel far, and Curtis was not far away from following up.
Seconds later, Cummins was barrelling down the left, before a superb recovery challenge from White. Even then, trying to play out, Argyle gave the ball away, and had to scramble again to get the ball away from Oluwabori.
With 30 seconds of the opening 45 minutes to go, Argyle put the ball in the net – but it did not count. Probably correctly; Pepple’s control of a ball, before he pushed it past Bycroft, looked it like it did come from his right arm, rather than his chest, but the ball to him, from Amaechi, was peachy, and it gave Argyle a nice moment heading into a break, at which the game was goalless.
Exeter made a change at the interval, taking off Jake Doyle-Hayes, and bringing on Harry Kite. Midfielder Kite returned to Exeter last week, to start his second spell. He only played against Argyle 16 days earlier, when he was a Truro City player.
Argyle’s change was not of personnel, but Curtis and Amaechi swapped flanks, to try to produce a new approach.
Within a few minutes of the restart, came another of those situations where a chance for one team turned into one for the other. Exeter sprang from an Argyle long throw, and after Reece Cole did a lot of work travelling with the ball, he crossed for Oluwabori, whose effort was miles off target, perhaps with more than a little thanks to the close attention of Evans, who covered a lot of ground to help quell the break-out.
Next, a long ball was flicked on by Curtis and directed on target by Evans, before the best move of the game to that point. And the best chance, too.
Argyle moved the ball carefully, but with purpose. Harding and Boateng advanced on the right, the former coming inside to Amaechi. Pepple and Curtis were involved before White slid to the advancing Hartridge. His cross was knocked on by a defender, but only to Boateng, who returned the delivery to the centre, where Pepple headed over from just inside the six-yard area.
After a move involving several players had carved out Pepple’s opportunity, it was Exeter who gifted the Greens the next big chance. Kite’s ball inside his own area was loose, with Evans seizing upon it. He went for power, but sliced off target.
The game rather meandered from here, each side perhaps a little afraid of being too adventurous, not wanting to lose as opposed to so desiring of a win. Argyle brought on Matty Sorinola for Amaechi, out of choice, and then Julio Pleguezuelo for Ross, after the latter had a cut that seemingly could not be staunched.
Into the last ten minutes, and Argyle began to find a few more chances. Curtis headed wide from a cross from the right, and then Evans headed wide from a corner. Both opportunities, curiously enough were at the kind of angle where fans in one stand may have felt it was closer than it was. Or, even, that it had gone in. No such luck.
Speaking of luck, precisely zero of it for Ethan Sutherland. His day began in Wolverhampton, he was announced as an Exeter loan player during the afternoon, he came on as a 65th-minute substitute, was booked in the 78th minute for a foul on Boateng, and sent off in the 88th when bringing down Sorinola.
Argyle threw on Freddie Issaka for Harding in the final moments to try to capitalise on a brief numerical advantage – and then came the big story.
White’s corner was beautifully delivered, finding Hartridge only three or four yards out, and he made no mistake.
Hartridge had earlier got the natural reaction from the away fans, having left them – and a little more, which crossed the line of the unnecessarily personal. One feels that he scored a second-minute opener, he may have tried to mute any celebrations, out of respect.
But a last-minute winner, on your debut, at the Babcock Devonport End, after all that? You could still see him keeping a lid on his emotions, but the delight was clear to see.
Then, the game free-wheeled into a few minutes of deep joy that swept everyone in green along.
Exeter, in disarray, could not deal with a ball forward, as Issaka challenged a flailing Bycroft. Issaka won the battle, squared to Pepple, who sent the ball over the line, and confirmed the victory for sure.
There was even time for Exeter to create a great chance from a long throw, but Cooper preserved a clean sheet with a tremendous save, low to his right.
Oh, we’ve started now. The season is here, everyone. Let’s enjoy the ride.
Argyle: 1 Murphy Cooper, 2 Mathias Ross (5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 77), 6 Malachi Boateng, 7 Harvey White, 9 Will Evans, 10 Xavier Amaechi (29 Matty Sorinola, 67), 11 Ronan Curtis, 15 Alex Mitchell, 22 Alex Hartridge, 27 Bim Pepple, 45 Wes Harding (capt, 25 Freddie Issaka 90). Substitutes: 21 James Storer (gk), 4 Brendan Wiredu, 8 Joe Edwards, 23 Bradley Ibrahim, 24 Caleb Roberts, 43 James Sharpe.
Goals: Hartridge 90+1. Pepple 90+4
Exeter: 1 Jack Bycroft, 3 Luca Woodhouse, 5 Jack Fitzwater, 7 Gwion Edwards (23 Ethan Sutherland, 65), 8 Taylor Perry (10 Josh Gordon, 65), 9 Jayden Wareham, 11 Andrew Oluwabori, 12 Reece Cole (20 George Birch, 72), 16 Charlie Cummins, 31 Jake Doyle-Hayes(14 Harry Kite, half-time), 40 Ed James. Substitutes: 22 Frankie Philips (gk), 18 Liam Oakes,19 Sonny Cox, 46 Louie Cayless, 47 Liam Cartwright.
Red card: Sutherland 88
Yellow cards: Cummins 19, Sutherland 78
Attendance: 16,755 (1,657 away)
Referee: Dean Whitestone
