CHAMPIONSHIP Plymouth Argyle 0 Bristol City 1
- Details
- Created on Monday, 01 April 2024 23:04
- Last Updated on Tuesday, 02 April 2024 10:56
- Published on Monday, 01 April 2024 23:04
- Written by ROSS REID at Home Park
Director of football Neil Dewsnip and first team coach Kevin Nancekivell now take charge of fourth-from-bottom Argyle ahead of Friday's must-win televised match at basement side Rotherham United.
City took the lead in the 57th minute after Jason Knight drove at goal and teed up Anis Mehmeti, whose shot was acrobatically saved by Michael Cooper, at full stretch.
The Argyle keeper somehow managed to save substitute Mark Sykes’ close range follow-up but the ball looped up and substitute Wells nodded in on the line.
Bali Mumba came closest to scoring from one of Argyle’s three early corners, volleying just over from the edge of the box from Adam Forshaw’s eighth minute flag kick.
Alfie Devine made a superb solo break from his own half to set up Ryan Hardie on a 12th minute counter-attack but the Scottish striker was wide with his 20 yard angled shot on the run.
City keeper Max O’Leary was called into action in Argyle’s next attack, plucking Morgan Whittaker’s shot from out of the air after a fine Forshaw pass down the right wing.
Despite their pressure, Argyle could not find a breakthrough, with a handful of players failing to connect with another Forshaw corner as it flew across the face of goal in the 20th minute.
Argyle’s best chance came on 30 minutes when top scorer Whittaker let fly with a thundering volley from the left – just inside the box - after latching on to Matthew Sorinola’s cross from the right. The ball flew just over O’Leary’s bar.
City started to assert themselves and on 33 minutes, when George Tanner won a corner on the right, Haydon Roberts’ flag kick flew invitingly across the face of goal.
Seconds later Cooper had to make a brilliant one-handed save to deny City striker Scott Twine as he latched on to a through ball from skipper Matty James. Twine tried to lift the ball over the home keeper, who just managed to get enough glove on the ball to turn it over his bar.
Tanner made a superb chested clearance at the far post to deny Argyle as Sorinola again sent over a pacey cross from the right.
Knight forced an early near-post save from Cooper at the start of the second half as City continued from where they left off in the first, in the ascendancy.
Within 12 minutes of the half the reds pressure told, with Wells scoring.
On 70 minutes O’Leary made a good save with his feet as Whittaker cut in from the right and shot from close range but that's as close as Argyle got to restoring parity.
Cooper made another full stretch stop to deny Wells a second goal in the 76th minute as the striker broke into the box and let fly with a low, angled drive.
Devine received a second yellow card following a foul on Tanner in the 78th minute.
Next up for Liam Manning's 12th placed reds is Saturday's mid-table clash at 13th placed Sunderland.
Next up for Argyle? Their biggest game of the season.
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