FA CUP 1st Round
Bolton Wanders 0 Argyle 1
By Finley Allen
Solid Argyle Performance All Round
I made the long journey to Bolton on Saturday through torrential rain and near freezing temperatures, more in hope than expectation, in terms of the result. None the less I was expecting a good performance following the Devon Derby defeat a fortnight ago. Argyle certainly lived up to my and others expectations as they produced what would be described as the epitome of a team performance, with Callum McFadzean’s 11th minute strike ultimately separating the two sides.
Bolton started the stronger of the two teams as they found a lot of space down the right as tricky winger Joe Dodoo tested the defensive capabilities of Argyle captain, Gary Sawyer.
After weathering the early storm, Argyle grew into the game with confidence and some excellent ink-up play between Byron Moore and the goalscorer. The ball was cutback to Joel Grant, who laid the ball off to McFadzean, his shot un-saveable, going through the palms of former Argyle keeper Remi Matthews.
McFadzean’s five goals in all competitions bettering any previous tally in his career to date, with his energy and good link up play paying dividends for Argyle this season.
As Argyle’s confidence continued to grow so did their fluidity, this forced Matthews into some typically smart saves from from Moore, Mayor and Joel respectively to keep the score at a minimum. The Greens saw the rest of the first half out well and for the first time this season were able to carry that through the game using good game management, something that has been lacking during the season so far.
The performances that stood out for me were those by Byron Moore and Josh Grant. The introduction of Byron Moore back into the starting 11 increased Argyle’s attacking fluidity as his lighting place and energy introduced something lacking in recent games. He was also able to hold the ball up well and brought others into play. Even late into the game he found the energy to pressure tired defenders. My second stand out performance was by Josh Grant who fitted into his new central defensive midfield role superbly as Joe Edwards moved out to right wing back. Josh received much criticism for two of the goals at Exeter, I hope he’s found his new position in the team with continued success.
The return from injury of Dom Telford is a massive boost to this Argyle Team. He and Billy Clarke helped see the game out for Argyle and with all strikers now fit, Argyle had the luxury of dropping Rangers loanee Zak Rudden from the squad, such is the quality of the current options.
Finally praise must go to the back three of Wootton, Canavan and Sawyer who have received much individual criticism this season, but have started 9 games together, keeping 6 clean sheets. Hopefully they can build a reliable unit at the back, which Argyle have been missing since the days of Sonny Bradley and Zak Vyner.
Be sure to be glued to the TV for the second round draw on Monday. I hope this performance will now spur Argyle onto better performances, with a a difficult trip to top of the table Forest Green next weekend.
Bolton Wanders 0 Argyle 1
By Finley Allen
Solid Argyle Performance All Round
I made the long journey to Bolton on Saturday through torrential rain and near freezing temperatures, more in hope than expectation, in terms of the result. None the less I was expecting a good performance following the Devon Derby defeat a fortnight ago. Argyle certainly lived up to my and others expectations as they produced what would be described as the epitome of a team performance, with Callum McFadzean’s 11th minute strike ultimately separating the two sides.
Bolton started the stronger of the two teams as they found a lot of space down the right as tricky winger Joe Dodoo tested the defensive capabilities of Argyle captain, Gary Sawyer.
After weathering the early storm, Argyle grew into the game with confidence and some excellent ink-up play between Byron Moore and the goalscorer. The ball was cutback to Joel Grant, who laid the ball off to McFadzean, his shot un-saveable, going through the palms of former Argyle keeper Remi Matthews.
McFadzean’s five goals in all competitions bettering any previous tally in his career to date, with his energy and good link up play paying dividends for Argyle this season.
As Argyle’s confidence continued to grow so did their fluidity, this forced Matthews into some typically smart saves from from Moore, Mayor and Joel respectively to keep the score at a minimum. The Greens saw the rest of the first half out well and for the first time this season were able to carry that through the game using good game management, something that has been lacking during the season so far.
The performances that stood out for me were those by Byron Moore and Josh Grant. The introduction of Byron Moore back into the starting 11 increased Argyle’s attacking fluidity as his lighting place and energy introduced something lacking in recent games. He was also able to hold the ball up well and brought others into play. Even late into the game he found the energy to pressure tired defenders. My second stand out performance was by Josh Grant who fitted into his new central defensive midfield role superbly as Joe Edwards moved out to right wing back. Josh received much criticism for two of the goals at Exeter, I hope he’s found his new position in the team with continued success.
The return from injury of Dom Telford is a massive boost to this Argyle Team. He and Billy Clarke helped see the game out for Argyle and with all strikers now fit, Argyle had the luxury of dropping Rangers loanee Zak Rudden from the squad, such is the quality of the current options.
Finally praise must go to the back three of Wootton, Canavan and Sawyer who have received much individual criticism this season, but have started 9 games together, keeping 6 clean sheets. Hopefully they can build a reliable unit at the back, which Argyle have been missing since the days of Sonny Bradley and Zak Vyner.
Be sure to be glued to the TV for the second round draw on Monday. I hope this performance will now spur Argyle onto better performances, with a a difficult trip to top of the table Forest Green next weekend.
