I remember as we were away in Holland for the New Year when I got the result on my friends PC. It made the weekend!
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Argyle 7 Chesterfield 0 - January 2004
- Thread starter djg145
- Start date
Don't remember the envelopes, but do remember Brucey going down at Saltergate, and big Tony James and Richard Logan knocking 7 bells out of Chesterfield players. Think Ronnie(?) might have got stuck in too, among others :lol:
R
Rupert
Guest
WMN match report from the 7-0...
There used to be something called the âmanager of the monthâs curse.â Legend has it, after the successful gaffer is told he has some bubbly and a trophy to sit on the mantelpiece coming his way, the next result does not go to plan.
That was the case after Plymouth Argyle manager Paul Sturrock had been notified of Octoberâs Nationwide League Second Division award. The Pilgrims promptly failed to win any of the first four League and cup games in November, and took only one point in that stretch of fixtures.
Fast forward to Saturday, at about 3.18pm. A day after being confirmed as the recipient of the December prize, Sturrock, along with 13,109 dumbstruck spectators, had just watched Plymouth ram five goals past shell-shocked Chesterfield inside the first 17 minutes of one of the most amazing matches Home Park has seen in a century of professional football. Curse? What curse?
It was downhill all the way from then on, mind you. Only 6-0 by half-time and, after what was inevitably an anti-climax of a second half, Argyle had to settle for a final score of 7-0. Still, not a bad afternoonâs work!
It was their seventh successive League victory and it maintained their four- point lead over second-placed Queenâs Park Rangers at the top of the Second Division. It also left them a formidable 12 points clear of third-placed Bristol City, who were not involved in League football this weekend.
Now for some serious history. Saturdayâs stuffing of the Spireites equalled Argyleâs record margin of victory in a League game. It ranks alongside the 8-1 wins achieved at Hartlepool United in May 1994, and at home to Millwall way back in January 1932. It was the first time the Pilgrims have scored seven goals in a home League game since a 7-1 crushing of Cardiff City in October 1966. And there has been only one previous 7-0 League win. That came in September 1936, at home to Doncaster Rovers.
After the previous weekendâs relatively uneventful 2-0 home win over Brentford, Sturrock chose to keep an unchanged team, despite the return from suspension of both Paul Wotton and David Norris, and Marino Keithâs recovery from a calf injury. Chesterfield, having won at well-placed Barnsley in their last outing, surprisingly made three changes to their side. It was a strategy which backfired somewhat.
Goal number one arrived after four minutes. Martin Phillips, in effervescent form on the right flank, gathered a fabulous cross-field pass from David Friio, cut inside and delivered a left-footed cross which visiting goalkeeper Carl Muggleton fumbled, under pressure from Mickey Evans. Lee Hodges drove home the loose ball.
Argyle had to wait until the 11th minute for their second goal. A Hasney Aljofree free-kick was headed across goal by Friio and, after Evans had challenged for the second header, the ball fell nicely for Tony Capaldi to fire home through a crowd of players.
Argyle were rampant. Inside a minute a Capaldi corner from the left flank was headed down by Graham Coughlan. A defender kicked the ball against the big Irishman and the rebound went to the predatory Nathan Lowndes, whose low drive beat Muggleton from a narrow angle. Then, five minutes later, another corner by Capaldi, this time from the right side, was headed home cleanly by the unattended Friio.
It was a rout, and still Argyle were not satisfied. A minute later a Paul Connolly pass found Evans, who made space and set up Lowndes to shoot low into the corner of the net from 20 yards. Five goals had been scored inside 13 minutes. The shattered Spireites did not know what had hit them.
As Argyle took a breather, Mark Allott skipped through the home defence before firing just over, and then Glynn Hurst headed narrowly wide. But then the Pilgrims raised their game again and, after Friio had headed straight at Muggleton, the sixth goal arrived in the 36th minute. A deep cross from Connolly was headed down by Evans for Friio to slam the ball into the roof of the net from close range.
What do you do when youâre 6-0 down at half-time? The Spireites, with nothing to lose, answered that question by taking the game to Argyle after the break. Former Torquay midfielder Chris Brandon was denied twice in the same attack, first by a good save from Luke McCormick and then by an Aljofree block. Then Connolly headed a Marvin Robinson header off the line.
Argyle switched off in the second half. That was understandable. The match had clearly been well won, and the players could hardly be blamed for wishing to conserve energy.
With ten minutes to go, Peter Gilbert played two visiting forwards onside but McCormick was quickly off his line to save at Hurstâs feet. But, enlivened by three substitutions, Argyle added one more goal to cap an afternoon few will forget in a hurry.
One of the men brought on, Norris, forced two fine saves out of Muggleton with his willingness to shoot. The second save by the overworked âkeeper produced a right-flank corner which was taken by another substitute, Ian Stonebridge. Friio unmarked, powered a header past Muggleton to complete his first Argyle hat-trick, and the first by any player since Sturrock arrived at Home Park.
There used to be something called the âmanager of the monthâs curse.â Legend has it, after the successful gaffer is told he has some bubbly and a trophy to sit on the mantelpiece coming his way, the next result does not go to plan.
That was the case after Plymouth Argyle manager Paul Sturrock had been notified of Octoberâs Nationwide League Second Division award. The Pilgrims promptly failed to win any of the first four League and cup games in November, and took only one point in that stretch of fixtures.
Fast forward to Saturday, at about 3.18pm. A day after being confirmed as the recipient of the December prize, Sturrock, along with 13,109 dumbstruck spectators, had just watched Plymouth ram five goals past shell-shocked Chesterfield inside the first 17 minutes of one of the most amazing matches Home Park has seen in a century of professional football. Curse? What curse?
It was downhill all the way from then on, mind you. Only 6-0 by half-time and, after what was inevitably an anti-climax of a second half, Argyle had to settle for a final score of 7-0. Still, not a bad afternoonâs work!
It was their seventh successive League victory and it maintained their four- point lead over second-placed Queenâs Park Rangers at the top of the Second Division. It also left them a formidable 12 points clear of third-placed Bristol City, who were not involved in League football this weekend.
Now for some serious history. Saturdayâs stuffing of the Spireites equalled Argyleâs record margin of victory in a League game. It ranks alongside the 8-1 wins achieved at Hartlepool United in May 1994, and at home to Millwall way back in January 1932. It was the first time the Pilgrims have scored seven goals in a home League game since a 7-1 crushing of Cardiff City in October 1966. And there has been only one previous 7-0 League win. That came in September 1936, at home to Doncaster Rovers.
After the previous weekendâs relatively uneventful 2-0 home win over Brentford, Sturrock chose to keep an unchanged team, despite the return from suspension of both Paul Wotton and David Norris, and Marino Keithâs recovery from a calf injury. Chesterfield, having won at well-placed Barnsley in their last outing, surprisingly made three changes to their side. It was a strategy which backfired somewhat.
Goal number one arrived after four minutes. Martin Phillips, in effervescent form on the right flank, gathered a fabulous cross-field pass from David Friio, cut inside and delivered a left-footed cross which visiting goalkeeper Carl Muggleton fumbled, under pressure from Mickey Evans. Lee Hodges drove home the loose ball.
Argyle had to wait until the 11th minute for their second goal. A Hasney Aljofree free-kick was headed across goal by Friio and, after Evans had challenged for the second header, the ball fell nicely for Tony Capaldi to fire home through a crowd of players.
Argyle were rampant. Inside a minute a Capaldi corner from the left flank was headed down by Graham Coughlan. A defender kicked the ball against the big Irishman and the rebound went to the predatory Nathan Lowndes, whose low drive beat Muggleton from a narrow angle. Then, five minutes later, another corner by Capaldi, this time from the right side, was headed home cleanly by the unattended Friio.
It was a rout, and still Argyle were not satisfied. A minute later a Paul Connolly pass found Evans, who made space and set up Lowndes to shoot low into the corner of the net from 20 yards. Five goals had been scored inside 13 minutes. The shattered Spireites did not know what had hit them.
As Argyle took a breather, Mark Allott skipped through the home defence before firing just over, and then Glynn Hurst headed narrowly wide. But then the Pilgrims raised their game again and, after Friio had headed straight at Muggleton, the sixth goal arrived in the 36th minute. A deep cross from Connolly was headed down by Evans for Friio to slam the ball into the roof of the net from close range.
What do you do when youâre 6-0 down at half-time? The Spireites, with nothing to lose, answered that question by taking the game to Argyle after the break. Former Torquay midfielder Chris Brandon was denied twice in the same attack, first by a good save from Luke McCormick and then by an Aljofree block. Then Connolly headed a Marvin Robinson header off the line.
Argyle switched off in the second half. That was understandable. The match had clearly been well won, and the players could hardly be blamed for wishing to conserve energy.
With ten minutes to go, Peter Gilbert played two visiting forwards onside but McCormick was quickly off his line to save at Hurstâs feet. But, enlivened by three substitutions, Argyle added one more goal to cap an afternoon few will forget in a hurry.
One of the men brought on, Norris, forced two fine saves out of Muggleton with his willingness to shoot. The second save by the overworked âkeeper produced a right-flank corner which was taken by another substitute, Ian Stonebridge. Friio unmarked, powered a header past Muggleton to complete his first Argyle hat-trick, and the first by any player since Sturrock arrived at Home Park.
I remember that Chesterfield game taking me back to a game against Preston on 22 August 1962 - also 6-0 at half-time. Wilf Carter had an off-night - he only got 2! Lill (2), McAnearney (2) and Johnny Williams got the others. It is amazing how these first half extravaganzas do not develop.
"Run from the taxman, you only run from the taxman"! Wit and proper singing at Argyle, another thing you don't see very often these days.John_Lloyd":2phjz9nj said:
I remember watching goal after goal fly in to the Chesterfield goal in the 7-0 win. Almost literally every shot we had in the opening half an hour went in!
Is there a Utube link anyone to Stelling for this one and for the 1-8 demolition job of Pools under Shilts.X Isle":23xig90r said:
Once posted can the MODS delete this thread its too depressing.
Argyle_4_Life":1orskw9w said:
Do you remember the away fans leaving on 20 minutes (Goodbye!!). Never saw that before (or since and never will again)
to come down from there and leave after 20 minutes?? sheesh!!