Plymouth Argyle, under the guidance of Wayne Rooney, extended their impressive pre-season form with a notable victory over Cheltenham Town last Saturday afternoon. Cheltenham Town hosted Plymouth Argyle at Whaddon Road for their fourth pre-season match.
The Robins showcased their new home kit and gave three new trialists opportunities to impress manager Michael Flynn. Among them was Dom Bernard, former captain of Forest Green Rovers, aiming to secure a contract back in the EFL.
The Championship team fielded a formidable starting lineup that included rumored Premier League target Michael Cooper, Rangers prospect Morgan Whittaker, and the captain and beloved figure Joe Edwards.
The match started dynamically with both Plymouth Argyle and Cheltenham Town enjoying spells of possession in the attacking third. Argyle initiated the action with the first shot on target, a low free-kick from Morgan Whittaker that was saved by Owen Evans.
Cheltenham’s new signing Ryan Haynes nearly scored from a corner with a curling effort that narrowly missed the target. Shortly after, Darko Gyabi attempted a long-range shot for the hosts, but it posed no threat to the Cheltenham goalkeeper. Argyle responded swiftly with a counter-attack, but defender Tom Bradbury made a crucial block to thwart their scoring opportunity.
Cheltenham broke the deadlock in the 20th minute when Liam Dulson tapped in Haynes’ cross. The hosts maintained pressure, with Matty Taylor coming close to doubling their lead, only to be denied by a good save from Michael Cooper.
Argyle equalized in somewhat fortuitous fashion when Mustapha Bundu’s shot deflected off Harrison Sonha, wrong-footing the goalkeeper. They swiftly took the lead with Ibrahim Cissoko heading in a cross from Whittaker. Whittaker himself extended their advantage with a superb long-range strike that left Evans with no chance.
Cheltenham’s Harry Pell attempted to pull one back with a headed effort that went over the crossbar. Evans made a fantastic close-range save to deny Cissoko a second goal, but Argyle soon capitalized on a defensive mistake, with Muhamed Tijani scoring just before halftime.
Half-time score: Cheltenham Town 1-3 Plymouth Argyle
Cheltenham made several changes at the start of the second half, bringing on new loanee Lewis Payne, Aidan Keena, Liam Kinsella, and two trialists. They pressed for a comeback, with Keena’s header narrowly missing the target. Tijani completed his brace with a skillful run and finish to extend Argyle’s lead.
Argyle then made a complete lineup change, introducing players like Callum Wright and Bali Mumba. Cheltenham also made substitutions, bringing on Jordan Thomas, Joe Day, and Ethon Archer. Ryan Hardie opened his pre-season account by scoring from a rebound, and Argyle came close to a sixth goal, but Day made a good save to deny Wright.
With ten minutes remaining, Cheltenham’s youth prospects Cameron Walters and Freddie Willcox came on for brief appearances.
Full-time score: Cheltenham Town 1-5 Plymouth Argyle
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