A pre-season goalless draw is not necessarily the kind of prospect that gets the pulses racing during a domestic football-less summer, but the nominal stalemate does not tell the full story of Argyle’s only home pre-season friendly, against Sky Bet Championship side Bristol City.
Yes, it was 0-0, but the near-7,000 strong Green Army in attendance will likely have left thinking about a first half in which the home side dominated, and would have felt a little aggrieved not to have led.
After the break, matters slowed somewhat, but all-in-all it was a plenty satisfactory outing for the Pilgrims, nine days before the real action begins.
Tom Cleverley sent out his team in a 4-4-2 formation, with Murphy Cooper playing behind a back four of, from the right, Wes Harding, Mathias Ross, Alex Mitchell and Alex Hartridge. Ronan Curtis took a spot on the right side of midfield, with Michael Baidoo on the left, and Harvey White and Malachi Boateng in the centre. Owen Oseni and Bim Pepple were the front pair.
Bristol City, who also had scheduled a fixture around 45 miles to the north-east for later that day, put out a strong side, most notably containing Lorent Tolaj, a couple of weeks after the 21-goal striker had traded Plymouth for the northern fringes of ought to be acceptably known as the West Country. It also featured Adam Randell, who might these days be ‘one of theirs’, but will always be, in our hearts, one of our own.
In the first 150 seconds of the game, Mitchell had put in three strong challenges, and the Greens had created a very decent opportunity.
Pepple had gone beyond his marker, and has he looked to take the ball towards City goalkeeper Sam Tickle, the only player left to pass, Pepple did so at glacial pace, because he was being held tightly by defender Rob Dickie. In the end, Pepple did well to make contact with the ball and beat Tickle, but saw the ball trickle wide.
The game began to develop into one where the visitors had a lot of the ball, but were finding chances hard to come by. On the other hand, and at the other end, Argyle went close again when Baidoo prodded not far off target from just inside the area, and have minutes later Pepple headed wide from a Hartridge cross, with Curtis lurking just behind.
The chances continued to come. White had two efforts from the 25-yard range, the second closer than the first, and in between those the same player crossed to where Oseni headed wide.
By this point, a shade before half an hour in, Argyle were well on top, and playing some lovely stuff. The best move of the match to the point saw some slick one-touch play move the ball from left to right, with Boateng, Baidoo and Oseni all involved, before Curtis cut inside, beat one player, and curled just over.
Then, though, came what we all hope is not a cruel, badly-timed blow. Before City were able to restart, Baidoo went down, seemingly clutching his hamstring, and looked the picture of frustration as he walked – limped – straight down the tunnel, and was replaced by Xavier Amaechi.
The injury seemed to dampen the spirits in the crowd, understandably, and on the pitch Argyle’s dominance eroded a little, but they still came close to opening the scoring on a couple more occasions.
Oseni was the central figure in this push, with Double O trying to break the 0-0 with a near-post shot that clattered a post, before a minute or later clipping a far-post cross that Amaechi was poised to nod in, but for the intervention of a defender.
City’s only real chance of note came at the start of injury time, with a recycled corner that was crossed back in and caught on the volley by previous Argyle nemesis Scott Twine. His connection was good, but he pulled the effort slightly wide.
The half-time interval did not appear to change much. Four minutes in, the first two opportunities were for the Greens. A Hartridge long throw was flicked on by a red-shirted head, and went not far wide. From the corner, Oseni headed on target, and brought a good stop out of Tickle.
Argyle made a couple of changes on the hour, with James Storer getting his first taste of Home Park action by replacing Cooper in goal, and Mitchell withdrawn to make way for Julio Pleguezuelo.
Soon afterward, after Amaechi was a little harshly booked for not quite making a recovery tackle, City had a direct free-kick, which Twine hit not far off target.
As is so often the case with friendlies containing substitutions aplenty, and with there not really being anything on the line, the verve rather went out of the game, and the enjoyable first period had given way to a rather more meandering affair with few chances of note.
Argyle still looked the most likely. Moments after Tolaj had exited to a pleasantly warm reception from the Green Army, Amaechi got the ball to Curtis, arriving in the box, but he was robbed of it as he looked to pull the trigger.
City had a brief flurry at the end without creating anything, and the game slowed to standstill, before a halt was officially called.
There remains a stop-off in Tavistock on Tuesday, and then the fun really starts. All set?
Argyle: 1 Murphy Cooper (21 James Storer, 59), 2 Mathias Ross, 6 Malachi Boateng (23 Bradley Ibrahim, 70), 7 Harvey White (4 Brendan Wiredu, 77), 11 Ronan Curtis, 15 Alex Mitchell (5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 59), 18 Owen Oseni, 20 Michael Baidoo (10 Xavier Amaechi, 30), 22 Alex Hartridge, 27 Bim Pepple (25 Freddie Issaka, 77), 45 Wes Harding (capt, 29 Matty Sorinola 70). Substitutes: 48 Frankie Maund.
Attendance: 7,556 (854 away)
