Wed 23rd Jul
Kick-off19:30

TOR Torquay

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PLY Argyle

Match Report

A happy half-dozen of goals on a pleasant night of football for Argyle, at Torquay United, meant the penultimate game of the Pilgrims’ pre-season was ticked off in ideal fashion.

Argyle improved throughout the first half, going in a goal up at the break thanks to a Xavier Amaechi goal. After the break, dominance was converted into goals, with Amaechi adding a glorious second moments before Bim Pepple made it three. Joe Edwards grabbed a brace either side of a Bali Mumba goal to wring the goals from the most pleasing performance of the season’s build-up so far.

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There are some frustrating aspects of pre-season for football supporters, chief of which is that the palpable taste of some form of football makes one salivate for football that matters; that which has points on the line. 

That is around the corner, fear not. For now, it is nice to dwell on some of the nice, familiar aspects of pre-season. They include the anticipation touched on in the above paragraph. They also include the forensic focus on aspects that do not matter in the scheme of things, but when you have been largely Argyle-starved for a few months, save for an Argyle TV Archive deep dive or four, small things matter. 

For one, the away kit. Worn here by an Argyle side for the first time, it is a thing of beauty to see in the flesh. Judging by the flashes of gold and black among the green and white in the away areas of the ground, plenty agree. 

So footy-starved has this writer been this summer, even the warm-up tops caught the eye. The standard ones – what would we call them? Avocado green? – are nice, but the dark ones on show in Torquay are so pretty.

Another nice pre-season tradition is Argyle’s unofficially annual trip to Plainmoor. Torquay, managed by Argyle legend Paul Wotton, came very close to being promoted from Vanarama National League South last season, blown by a tide of optimism that swelled into Torbay following a consortium takeover a little over a year ago. 

The obvious proximity between Plymouth and Torquay, as places, means the game is always attended by copious members of the Green Army, but their yellow counterparts were out in force, too, and there has grown a feeling of…perhaps not friendship between the clubs, but certainly a lack of any animosity. It is probably fair to say that most Argyle fans wish Torquay well, and the reverse is probably truer now than ever.

Friendly, then, in perhaps more than one sense. But this was not your typical pre-season friendly with a slow, feeling-out process. In the opening minute, Argyle had the opportunity for Kornel Szucs to sling a throw-in into the area, and in the ensuing chaos several players tried to get a shot away, most notably Bradley Ibrahim, whose effort was blocked. 

Torquay had their first shot on target within three minutes, and although Luca Ashby-Hammond dealt comfortably with Cody Cooke’s effort, it was a sign that Torquay were up for this annual battle, at a nigh-on full Plainmoor.

The Gulls had the better of the opening ten minutes or so, winning plenty of duels in the Riviera sun, but Argyle began to come into it more and more, with increasing evidence of the movement and patterns of play that clearly will have been part of Tom Cleverley’s guidance to this point.

Perhaps brightest of all at this stage was Mumba, causing issues for Torquay down their right, Argyle’s left. Chances for Mumba on 15 and 25 minutes were the next opportunities for the Greens, the second of which was one Mumba carved out himself, but dragged wide from a decent position on the edge of the area.

On the other flank, glimpses of Amaechi’s undoubted ability were becoming increasingly frequent. One sumptuous takedown of a ball was followed by a run of intent, but he found a bit of a cul-de-sac. There followed, a few minutes later, a crisp one-two between Amaechi and Ibrahim that got the former to the bye-line, and his low cross was turned accidentally goalwards by a defender who would have been relieved to see goalkeeper James Hamon tidy up. 

The goal came from work from the half’s two protagonists, Mumba and Amaechi, with an important Malachi Boateng cameo. Mumba surged down the left, rode a crude attempt to bring him down, and squared for Boateng. He teed up Amaechi precisely, and a well-placed finish in the corner later, Argyle led. 

This was just under ten minutes from the half-time whistle, and Argyle seemed buoyed by the goal. So much so they had several chances for a second before the interval. 

A neat move involving Mumba and Ibrahim was started, and almost ended, by Pepple, whose poke towards to the corner went just wide. Then, Boateng’s well-timed run into the box concluded with a shot across Hamon’s goal that went very close to concluding the half perfectly.

The second half started decently, too. A Joe Edwards burst down the right saw him cross, at full stretch, into an area that Brendan Wiredu was powering into. Wiredu’s forceful header was not far wide at all.

Amaechi then scored his, and the game’s, second goal. And what a dream it was. It should be noted that the whole move began with Ashby-Hammond calmly turning in his own box, and playing out via Kornel Szucs and Ibrahim. The latter was involved again when he pinged a cross-field ball to Amaechi, stationed on the right flank.

Amaechi’s first touch was sublime, but not even close to being the best bit. His twinkletoes brought him inside, with a couple of intelligent decoy runs ahead of him affording him space. Then, in front of the majority of the Green Army, Amaechi curled sweetly home from 20 yards. 

Friendly, yes. Nice relationship between the clubs, yes. But the fact that a great many Torquay fans in attendance applauded the goal tells you all you need to know. 

The third came swiftly afterwards. Ibrahim won a free-kick which Amaechi floated in, Szucs headed down and, after Brendan Galloway threw himself at the loose ball, Pepple fired it in. 

Just after the midway point in the second period, Argyle made it four with a lovely team goal. The Greens in black kept it for a long time, eventually switching from right to left to get the ball to Mumba. Doubled up on, Mumba paused, and Boateng made up Mumba’s mind by driving past him, demanding the pass, and receiving it. Boateng checked, beat his man, and picked out Edwards, who clipped home.

This was the trigger for seven changes, with only Mumba, Wiredu, Szucs and Edwards remaining on the pitch. Zak Baker, Jamie Paterson, Ayman Benarous, Owen Oseni, Caleb Roberts, Freddie Issaka and Jack Matthews all came on at that point. 

Paterson’s first telling involvement was a cracker. His pass, inside to out, between Torquay defenders, was centimetre-perfect. Mumba latched on and finished smartly, adding another to the tally. As @wiregreen1 put it, on X: Ladies and gentleman, that was Mumba, number five. (We contemplated stealing that one, but credit where credit is due.)

The sixth, on 78 minutes, came from Mumba’s build-up play, as his patented turn of pace took him beyond wearier legs than his, and his cut-back was met by Edwards, who has long since trademarked his arrival in penalty areas. He placed the ball home, scoring his second, and Argyle’s sixth.

The two most recent goalscorers then departed the scene, replaced by Joe Hatch and, getting his first taste of senior action, first-year scholar Joe Mwaro.

For some Argyle fans, this would have been their first taste of viewing this season’s crop of seniors, too, and it was a whetting of the appetite, with the main course ten days away.

Nearly there, now.

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