Report | Argyle 1-0 Portsmouth
Substitute Michael Obafemi scored the game’s only goal as Argyle outlasted a game Portsmouth side at Home Park.
Bottom side Pompey hustled from the off, and had Argyle on the back foot, but the Pilgrims held firm, keeping a much-needed clean sheet and scoring late on to seal yet another home victory.
In the Argyle starting line-up, there was a first start for Andre Gray following his first Pilgrims goal in the previous home fixture, as a substitute, against Preston North End. Freddie Issaka and Morgan Whittaker, both left out at Leeds United the previous Saturday, and who also both notched against Preston, returned to the side and completed the front three.
Indeed, Argyle’s five most attacking players were all returnees, the two most offensive midfielders, Rami Al Hajj and Darko Gyabi, also coming back in. The remaining six players had all started at Elland Road: Jordan Houghton, who anchored the midfield in the continuing absence of Adam Randell, in front of a back four of left-back Matty Sorinola, right-back Bali Mumba, and central pairing Kornel Szucs and Julio Pleguezuelo. Daniel Grimshaw continued in goal.
After moving pre-match acknowledgements of the fallen, as this fixture is the nearest home game to Remembrance Sunday, the match got under way in misty conditions enveloping Home Park.
Portsmouth, perhaps more used to a coastal Solent fog than the Ocean City on the Plym, started brightly in the gloom. In fact, within 60 seconds, they had the ball in the net, with Connor Ogilvie’s saved shot turned home by Regan Poole at close range. However, a flag was raised.
The story of the opening quarter of the game saw the same pattern repeating itself. Portsmouth were largely happy to allow Argyle’s back line and goalkeeper have the ball, then as soon as the men in green looked to come forward, Pompey swarmed.
It was effective, but high octane. The hope had to be that Portsmouth would not be able to maintain their intensity, though it could not be denied that they had managed to dictate the tone of the opening 20 or so minutes.
Argyle looked at their best when Gyabi or Houghton were able to break a line, and it was from Houghton releasing Mumba that the Pilgrims got their first shot on goal, with Mumba feeding Whittaker, for the number 10 to shoot on target but straight at Nico Schmidt.
For Portsmouth, Josh Murphy was at the heart of much of their attacking craft, and it was from a superb right-footed left-wing cross that he conjured a ball to the space in front of Matt Ritchie, diving headlong. Ritchie met it, but Grimshaw saved.
Argyle went straight up the other end and fashioned their best chance of the half. It came from a partially cleared free-kick, Whittaker having a shot deflected, then Pleguezuelo keeping the attack alive with a header. It fell to Gyabi, but he could not quite hook a leg around the ball cleanly, and his effort travelled wide.
Portsmouth continued to have the better chances after the break. Firstly, Andre Dozzell hit a dipping volley not far over the bar, before Murphy was a whisker away from getting on the end of a tempting Kusini Yengi cross.
For Argyle’s part, an Issaka-inspired break on the left-hand side saw a ball trundle across the area, being met by Houghton, who forced a tremendous low save from Schmid, denying birthday boy Jordan his perfect present.
Just after the hour mark, Argyle sent on Mustapha Bundu and Callum Wright for Issaka and Al Hajj. Shortly afterwards, a strong team press saw Whittaker win the ball high up, allowing Gray to latch on and thread Whittaker in on goal. However, the play had come a nanosecond too late, and Whittaker had run offside before heading off en route to goal.
By the time eyes glanced to the big screen clock and saw 75 minutes tick round, Portsmouth’s legs were looking a little wearier, the earlier tempo possibly taking toll. To say Argyle were flowing forward in waves would be an exaggeration, certainly, but the Greens were winning an increasing amount of free-kicks for nicking a ball first and drawing a foul. Houghton and Whittaker both shot over from distance, and there seemed to be a growing sense that Argyle were looking the likeliest.
By this point, Obafemi had come on the field, and did so to cheers from the Green Army, and catcalls from their blue equivalents, who recalled Obafemi’s time as a Saint in Southampton. Canonisation in Plymouth might be a way off yet, but there was a potential outline of a halo visible when he banged in Argyle’s opening goal.
The barrel-chested frontman essentially dealt with Portsmouth’s centre-backs on his own. A long ball from Grimshaw sailed over one defender – Tom McIntyre – who was manoeuvred out of it by Obefemi, and then his covering defensive partner Poole was no match for the on-loan striker’s low centre of gravity. Obafemi concluded his maraud with a telling finish into the corner, and Argyle had their lead.
They never looked like relinquishing it, either. Portsmouth’s race had been run, their fuse fizzled. Argyle Head Coach Wayne Rooney is a known boxing fan, and there was a touch of the rope-a-dopes about this game.
This refers to the tactic once used effectively by Muhammed Ali in a 1974 bout against George Foreman in Zaire, when he covered up, tired out his opponent, then struck.
They called that fight the Rumble in the Jungle. But then again, what would someone named Rooney know about jungles, eh?
Three more stars added – and from a ‘Derby’, we head to Derby.
Argyle: 31 Daniel Grimshaw, 2 Bali Mumba, 4 Jordan Houghton (capt), 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 6 Kornel Szucs, 10 Morgan Whittaker (44 Victor Palsson, 90), 18 Darko Gyabi, 19 Andre Gray (14 Michael Obafemi, 70), 28 Rami Al Hajj (11 Callum Wright, 62), 29 Matty Sorinola, 35 Freddie Issaka (15 Mustapha Bundu, 62). Substitutes: 25 Marko Marosi (gk), 3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 9 Ryan Hardie, 27 Adam Forshaw, 34 Caleb Roberts.
Goals: Obafemi 82
Booked: Whittaker 4, Gray 25, Gyabi 34, Pleguezuelo 60
Portsmouth: 13 Nico Schmidt, 2 Jordan Williams (24 Terry Devlin, 65), 3 Connor Ogilvie, 5 Regan Poole (capt), 8 Frankie Potts, 10 Kusini Yengi (11 Mark O’Mahony, 74), 16 Tom McIntyre, 21 Andre Dozzell (15 Christian Saidee, 85), 23 Josh Murphy (17 Owen Moxon, 85), 30 Matt Ritchie (20 Samuel Silvera, 74), 49 Callum Lang. Substitutes: 31 Jordan Archer (gk), 4 Ryley Towler, 7 Marlon Pack, 25 Abdoulaye Kamara.
Booked: Lang 67, Potts 78
Referee: James Bell
Attendance: 16,647 (1,143 away)
