Torquay United 0 – 2 Argyle – Hardie 50 (pen), Mumba 60
Ryan Hardie and Bali Mumba’s goals early in the second half gave Argyle a second straight pre-season victory, this time at Devon neighbours Torquay United.
Hardie scored from the spot soon after the restart after Will Jenkins Davies had been brought down for a penalty, with Mumba doubling the score just before the hour mark.
Argyle lined up with Conor Hazard playing behind a back four of – from right to left – Matty Sorinola, Julio Pleguezuelo, Lewis Gibson and Saxon Earley. With Adam Randell, Darko Gyabi and Jordan Houghton all absent, Caleb Roberts and Adam Forshaw played in the centre of midfield, with Bali Mumba to their left and Freddie Issaka on their right. Up front, Callum Wright played just behind Ryan Hardie.
The Torquay line-up featured former Pilgrim Oscar Threlkeld, who was given the captain’s armband by new Gulls boss Paul Wotton who, in his first home game in charge, took in applause from all four sides of the ground.
It was a capacity crowd inside Plainmoor, with Argyle filling the away end, as they typically do, but home fans turning out in force too. Torquay were at the brink of existence before a new consortium completed a takeover earlier in the year. There is optimism that a setup also including former Argyle boss Neil Warnock can inspire a push up the Vanarama National League South this season, and the sell-out attendance reflected that.
Within the first minute of the game, Hardie had two efforts at goal; the first a near-post glance from a low Mumba cross, the second an effort from a more central position that Gulls goalkeeper James Hamon held.
Torquay quickly rallied, with a cross from the right just in front of the late run of midfielder Dan Hayfield.
Argyle suffered a setback early on when, before the 20-minute mark, Roberts limped out of the game, replaced by former Torquay loan player Will Jenkins Davies.
Employing a similar tactic to the previous week at Cheltenham – only this time with Sorinola on the right rather than Nathanael Ogbeta on the left – Argyle were utilising a full-back in advanced areas, and more than once Sorinola got a cross into a dangerous area. From one such delivery, a partial clearance fell to Jenkins Davies, who shot over under pressure.
As the first half wore on, Issaka began to impose himself on the game. For the most part, Torquay’s players just took it in turns to trip up the teenager, but on one occasion when he evaded all flailing legs, Issaka knocked a shot just wide.
The game was goalless at the break, and in all fairness had been devoid of much of a flow. It had, however, been a first half which was punctuated with several lengthy stoppages because of medical issues in Torquay’s Popular Side stand, which housed United and Argyle fans. We wish everyone affected all the very best.
After the break, Issaka was in the thick of it again, tricking his way to the bye-line and cutting the ball back. Jenkins Davies picked it up on the edge of the area, but was tripped, with the referee, who was very close to the action, deciding the foul had taken place inside the box.
Hardie stepped up to take the kick, and struck strongly into the bottom corner, with Hamon declining to dive.
New Torquay forward Cody Cooke, signed this week to lead the Gulls’ line, was a half-time substitute, and he used his experience and presence to get on the end of two Torquay set-piece moves, and each time his header was not terribly far away.
Just before the hour mark, Mumba made it two for the Greens, reacting the quickest to a Hamon save from a rasping Wright drive. Although the goal was empty, Mumba still had plenty to do, but his balance and poise was true, and he clipped home with his left foot.
This was the cue for the expected raft of substitutions, with all but Jenkins Davies taking their leave. The side now closely resembled the starting 11 from the previous Saturday, with the differences being first-year pros Jack Matthews and Josh Bernard included at right-back and central midfield respectively.
With Torquay making several changes as well, the second half took on a fairly typical latter-stages-of-a-friendly vibe, with a lack of urgency to either stage a comeback or press home an advantage, depending on your perspective.
Muhamed Tijani had perhaps Argyle’s best chance of the final half-hour, nodding off target from an Ibrahim Cissoko cross. Cissoko, for his part, occasionally lit up proceedings with his brand of edge-of-your-seat footwork. This was probably the correct stage on which to do so.
With few other alarms at either end, the game concluded with another win for Argyle in pre-season, and a clean sheet to boot. The preparation rolls on this Tuesday night, as Argyle meet Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium, in a game which kicks off at 7pm.
Argyle starting line-up: 21 Conor Hazard, 2 Bali Mumba, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 9 Ryan Hardie, 11 Callum Wright, 17 Lewis Gibson, 24 Saxon Earley, 27 Adam Forshaw (capt), 29 Matty Sorinola, 34 Caleb Roberts (32 Will Jenkins Davies, 19), 35 Freddie Issaka.
Argyle from 60 minutes: 1 Michael Cooper, 3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 6 Dan Scarr, 7 Ibrahim Cissoko, 10 Morgan Whittaker, 15 Mustapha Bundu, 22 Brendan Galloway, 26 Muhamed Tijani, 32 Will Jenkins Davies, 36 Josh Bernard, 37 Jack Matthews.
