Argyle 2 Wolves 2

A rumbustious, hammer-and-tongs, old-fashioned cracker of a match, with no quarter asked or given ended, probably on balance fairly, with a point apiece. If the conditions - blowing a gale and raining (as my daughter said) cats and dogs and pigs - weren’t ideal, then they in no way detracted from the commitment and the excitement on display, and in actual fact probably added to it.

Argyle’s starting line-up included a number of surprises: the choice of Stack over Larrieu between the sticks; the inclusion of new signing Chris Barker (having only put pen to paper that morning, the left back slotted in as if he’d spent all pre-season with his teammates, rather than only just having met them); the choice of Chris Clark over Jason Puncheon on the right hand side; no David McNamee despite his good pre-season (was he injured?) and an aggressive front three of Mackie, Easter and Fallon. Wolves started as predicted, with Stephen Ward on the left, Keogh and Ebanks-Blake up front, Kightly on the right and Karl Henry and David Jones in the midfield. New boy Richard Stearman partnered old hand Jody Craddock at the back with Timar nemesis George Elokobi and Kevin Foley as full backs.

Within three minutes, the busy, hard-working Easter had won a free-kick on the edge of the box (much to McCarthy’s disgust, an attitude he managed to keep for the full 90 minutes), but Simon Walton, impressive throughout, despite tiring towards the end, drove the setpiece into the wall. Four minutes later though, it was 1-0. A huge punt downfield from Stack caugh the wind and Rory Fallon was sharpest to react, lifting the ball delicately over Wayne Hennessy in a manner reminiscent of Nick Chadwick’s eleven-seconder against Palace a couple of years ago. For a minute or two, Argyle were rampant and forced the old gold back on their heels. But gradually they began to find their way back into the game and it was not a complete surprise when Foley eluded the out-of-position Barker (why are *all our left backs caught of position at least once every game?) and put the ball on a plate for Michael Kightly who reacted while Doumbe stood and watched.

Thereafter it was up and down, up and down. Jamie Mackie worked hard down the right hand side without ever troubling Elokobi; Chris Clark put a shift and a half in on the opposite side; Walton did the fetching and carrying with commendable aplomb - including one full-blooded challenge that made the whole grandstand shake. Kightly was the biggest thorn in our flesh, carving out chances for himself and for Ebay, who blazed over when in plenty of space and Andy Keogh was pulling Doumbe every which way. Summers - relishing the freedom that Walton’s work was allowing him - sprayed passes all over the park, most with pinpoint accuracy, a few not so, and almost sent the Greens in ahead again with one of his trademark delicious free kicks that Hennessey had to tip away. At the other end, Kightly repaid the compliment, with Stack just as equal to his effort.

With a slight lull in the conditions at the start of the second half, Wolves started the brighter and Stack had to be alert to deny Ebay twice. It would be a theme repeated often as the game reached a climax. But another corner won by the persistent (and often overlooked) Easter brought rich rewards. The ball was allowed to drop and while Stearman and Foley looked at each other, Seip fired home. Back came the rain - and back came Wolves. Four or five times it seemd they must, surely must, score as Kightly drifted inside in search of the ball and away from Barker’s close attentions, and suddenly found the room he needed to display his considerable talents. Ebanks-Blake, Elokobi, Craddock all had nailed-on chances which were thwarted partly by a rugged and seat-of-its-pantsish Argyle defence, but mainly by a display of heroics by Stack to match the one by Wolves keeper Matt Murray in the exact same fixture two years ago. He was, quite simply, immense.

McCarthy (still moaning about something, only the Lord and the fourth official know what) sent on Iwelumo for Keogh: Sturrock responded with Timar for Doumbe, who to be fair had not been at the races for much of the afternoon. Then, the decisive switch: Jarvis and Vokes for the ineffective Ward and Ebay, to the delight of the Green Army. A mistake in midfield; Iwelumo and Vokes cut through like a knife through butter with the silkiest of one-twos and Vokes’ finish had Stack beaten at last and McCarthy punching the air. Now we looked ragged and tired and the Grandstand Pessimists waited for Wolves to claim the win. In fact, it was the visitors who appeared to have settled for the point and Argyle who came closest, with sub Puncheon lighting up the dreary afternoon with several exquisite changes of pace, gliding past Elokobi as though he was just a shadow and providing a shot which nearly - oh, so nearly, beat Hennessey at the far post.

So it finished honours even, and a creditable point for the Greens. Stand-out performances from Stack, deservedly man-of-the-match; Seip; Walton; Chris Clark, who was tireless up and down the flanks; and Jermaine Easter who worked his socks off without really so much as a sniff - he was Argyle attitude personified. Chris Barker kept Kightly relatively quiet until the Wolves man drifted inside and he (Barker) began to visibly tire: Duguid was calm and collected at the back; Fallon a nuisance (and the target of much of McCarthy’s displeasure). Jamie Mackie is still very much work in progress, but nevertheless worked as hard as anyone. For Wolves, Michael Kightly was head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch, in terms of talent on display; Richard Stearman looks a great improvement on Gary Breen and having four strikers of the quality of Iwelumo, Ebay, Vokes and Keogh ought to be enough on its own to keep them up there. David Jones was anonymous, or better, played off the park by Simon Walton and Craddock looks as though his legs have gone. But, all in all, it was a cracking game, a fair result and fitting start to the new season.

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

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