Despite taking the lead against second-placed Lincoln City, Argyle suffered a chastening 4-1 home defeat against the promotion-chasing Imps.
Bim Pepple’s goal after 11 minutes gave hope for the Pilgrims, but by half-time Freddie Draper had equalised for Lincoln, and two Reeco Hackett goals in the second half took the game away from Argyle. Ryan Oné added a fourth with seconds remaining.
There was a debut at the outset for Wes Harding who, although primarily being brought in as a central defender who can play at right-back, was asked to fill in at left-back, in the absence of the suspended Matty Sorinola and injured Brendan Galloway.
Completing the back four, in front of goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond, were Mathias Ross, Alex Mitchell and Joe Edwards. In midfield, Owen Dale returned to the side, playing on the left of a four-man midfield, with Ronan Curtis to the right, and Malachi Boateng and Brendan Wiredu in the centre. Pepple and Caleb Watts continued as a front pair.
Harding was booked in the early stages of his debut, as Argyle felt aggrieved not to have a foul given on Pepple in the build of a promising attack, only for Lincoln to go to the other end and have a chance of their own.
The Greens, though, took the lead on 11 minutes, with a goal of sheer brilliance from Pepple. The first task was the first touch, from a long ball forward, and the way the Canadian forward killed it was sublime. Then, before anyone, particularly Lincoln defenders or goalkeeper, could get set, Pepple took aim with his left foot, finding the inside of one post, and seeing the ball run along the line and nestle in the inside netting the other side.
Argyle rode a wave after the goal, and although few clear-cut chances arrived, the home side looked, naturally, the more confident, having gone in front. Confidence, not a problem Pepple has at the worst of times, was coursing through the goalscorer, so much that he took on an effort from even further out that, although relatively easily gathered by George Wickens in the Lincoln goal, underlined how Pepple was feeling.
Lincoln gradually got themselves back in the game, and equalised through a set-piece on 38 minutes. It had come after a series of corners were simply converted into another, and eventually a delivery into the six-yard area was forced over the line by Draper, from close range.
To add literal injury to insult, Argyle lost Pepple, needing to be substituted following a clash of heads. He was replaced by Owen Oseni.
Lincoln took the lead inside eight minutes of the restart. Argyle were guilty of not retaining the ball well, and the Imps took advantage. The Greens only partially cleared a ball into the box, and it was fired into the bottom by Hackett. It was a good finish, but Argyle had been made to pay for a sluggish start to the second period.
Through the next ten minutes, Lincoln looked by far the more likely side of the two to add the game’s fourth goal and, sure enough, that is exactly what happened. The goal was essentially an amalgam of the first two Lincoln efforts – that is, is was a goal for Hackett, and it came from a corner into a dangerous area.
Hackett, though, was the one who took the corner. Swinging in a left-footed delivery from the right, Hackett put the ball right under the crossbar, with Ashby-Hammond’s attempt to divert the ball over the frame of the goal simply serving to push it into the net.
Argyle brought on Xavier Amaechi and Kornel Szucs – something they were planning to do before Lincoln scored – for Dale and Edwards.
With quarter of an hour to go, Argyle seemed to wake from a slumber. It was Curtis-inspired; the wideman, by now playing on the left, drove at defenders and played in a dangerous cross that Lincoln never really cleared. In the ensuing action, Amaechi had a shot blocked, before the ball fell to Curtis again, and his deflected effort was brilliantly tipped over by Wickens.
Argyle kept up a bit of pressure – it took a very good defensive header to clear before Boateng could reach a Mitchell knock-down from the corner – and then brought on Herbie Kane, for his debut, and Jamie Paterson, for Wiredu and Watts.
Curtis could not have done much more when he sent in an inviting cross from the left wing in the final minute of the 90, but Oseni could not meet the cross with his head, and Amaechi did not anticipate the pace of the cross, following in behind.
By this point, the game was essentially beyond the Pilgrims, but Oné put a bow on proceedings with a counter-attack goal at the very end of stoppage time, inflicting a second consecutive defeat on Argyle.
Argyle: 21 Luca Ashby-Hammond, 2 Mathias Ross, 4 Brendan Wiredu (20 Herbie Kane, 77), 8 Joe Edwards (capt, 6 Kornel Szucs 66), 15 Alex Mitchell, 17 Caleb Watts (7 Jamie Paterson, 77), 19 Malachi Boateng, 27 Bim Pepple (18 Owen Oseni, 44), 28 Ronan Curtis, 35 Owen Dale (10 Xavier Amaechi, 66), 45 Wes Harding. Substitutes: 13 Zak Baker (gk), 3 Jack MacKenzie.
Goals: Pepple 11
Booked: Harding 8, Oseni 57
Lincoln City: 1 George Wickens, 2 Tendayi Darikwa (capt), 3 Adam Reach, 7 Reeco Hackett (6 Ryley Towler, 90+1), 10 Jack Moylan (19 Alfie Lloyd, 73), 14 Conor McGrandles, 15 Sonny Bradley, 17 Rob Street (18 Ben House, 73), 22 Tom Hamer, 24 Varfolomieiev, (8 Tom Bayliss, half-time) 34 Freddie Draper (20 Ryan Oné, 81). Substitutes: 13 Zach Peacock (gk), 16 Dom Jefferies.
Goals: Draper 38, Hackett 53, 65, Oné 90+7
Booked: Varfolomeev 15, Bayliss 76, Oné 90+6, House 90+8
Attendance: 15,547 (605 away)
Referee: Stephen Martin
