Plymouth 0 1 Wycombe: Match report

ARGYLE failed to take advantage of their promotion rivals’ FA Cup-induced Sky Bet League 2 inactivity as Wycombe continued to exert their Home Park hex over the Pilgrims with a fifth successive victory at the Theatre of Greens.

Recent familiarity has clearly bred contempt between the two sides and the match with last year’s play-off conquerors of the Pilgrims was the Beautiful Game’s ugly sister. Wycombe took the lead in the third minute with a goal, from ex-Pilgrim Gozie Ugwu, which was grotesquely in keeping with what followed.

There followed a masterclass from Wanderers in protecting, not just their lead, but a goalkeeper who made his league debut before half the Argyle side were even born and whose next landmark birthday will be the big Five-Oh. Goalkeeping coach Barry Richardson was pressed into action as 15th-minute substitute and, thanks to his team-mates' discipline and arch gamesmanship, had very little to do.

He should have had to face a penalty soon after coming on after Reuben Reid was wrestled to the floor by Jason McCarthy. However, referee Phil Gibbs crucially took a different view from most inside Home Park when Argyle ought have been given a shot to equalise from 12 yards and Wycombe reduced to ten men.

Gibbs’ refereeing and Wycombe’s tactics had their inevitable consequences after the final whistle went, when both sides were embroiled in an unseemly spat as they left the pitch. Reap and sow.

Argyle manager Derek Adams had resisted any temptation he might have had to hand a starting debut to forward Daniel Nardiello, who had been signed on loan from League 1 Bury on Wednesday.

However, in reverting to his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation from the 4-4-1-1 employed at the beginning of the 1-1 draw at Bristol Rovers seven days earlier, he made two changes of personnel.

Josh Simpson, the scorer of the dramatic late leveller at the Memorial Stadium, gave best to injury and was replaced by Oscar Threlkeld, while Craig Tanner was preferred to Graham Carey for the hole role behind lone central striker, Reid. Ryan Brunt dropped down to the substitutes’ bench.

Wycombe, looking to arrest a run of five winless games – including three straight league defeats – included three former Pilgrims forwards in their starting 11: Paris Cowan-Hall, who has returned to Wanderers on loan from Millwall and who made 45 appearances and scored five goals between 2012-13; and loan players Paul Hayes (2013: seven games, no goals) and Ugwu (2013: six games, no goals).

In a surreal echo of what had happened when the two sides met at Adams Park earlier in the season, the kick-off was delayed by several minutes. Then, the players were put on hold while the home side satisfied the referee of Football League approval for the use of their on-board personal GPS; this time, a sprinkler-head exposed by heavy rain needed sorting out.