Plymouth v Scunthorpe United

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Football League Championship

Plymouth :
Larrieu, Connolly, Timar, Seip, Hodges, Martin (Abdou 46), Norris, Nalis, Halmosi, Ebanks-Blake (Fallon 78), Hayles (Easter 78)
Subs not used:
McCormick, Sawyer

Scunthorpe United :
Lillis, Logan, Crosby, Butler, Williams, Taylor (Ameobi 9), Cork, Forte (Hurst 67), Baraclough (Hayes 46), Sparrow, Paterson
Subs not used:
Pressman, Morris

SULSESC REPORT

by Andy Skeels at Home Park

NEW Mum Karen Holland didn’t seem overly enthusiastic to write the match report for this game when I asked. And who can blame her?

It was a decent day out, but the action on the pitch is best forgotten from a Scunthorpe point of view as a comprehensive 3-0 defeat offered some ominous signs for the relegation battle which surely lies ahead.

The Iron were still in the game at the break, although Plymouth had had much the better of the first-half exchanges without unduly troubling Josh Lillis in the United goal.

But it was a different story altogether in the second period once the Pilgrims had broken the deadlock shortly after the restart. Loanee full-back Logan showed his inexperience by jumping into a tackle which he promptly missed, allowing Halmosi to race into the box. Lillis parried his cross but Ebanks-Blake beat Williams to the loose ball to open the scoring.

There was little United could do about Plymouth’s second just over 10 minutes later when Timar spectacularly volleyed Halmosi’s free-kick straight into the roof of the net and when substitute Abdou added a third with 13 minutes still remaining, horrible memories of previous thumpings on this ground were revived.

Fortunately, there was no further change to the scoreline, although with a little more good fortune, United may have pulled one, or even two goals back as they roused themselves in the closing stages, playing their best football of the day when, typically, it was too late.

According to the Plymouth programme, Home Park has never been a happy hunting ground for the Iron in the past, this match being our 12th visit all-time. Of those 12, we’ve now lost 10.

Of more immediate concern is the rapid plunge down the table. A 3-0 scoreline may have flattered Plymouth a little but there was no doubt they fully deserved their victory and it is difficult to see where the Iron’s next win is coming from.

The present side bares little resemblance to that which won the League One title only seven months ago and of the 14 players who took to the Home Park pitch, six were not even on the books last season. In my opinion, we’re now watching a much weaker team than last season trying to compete at a much higher level – not surprisingly without success now that the feelgood factor of promotion has faded.

Recruiting inexperienced teenagers on loan is certainly not the answer either. Logan is enthusiastic and has shown flashes of ability but isn’t Championship standard as far as I can see, while Ameobi simply looked out of his depth on this evidence. As was suggested on Saturday, even Torpey would have been a better bet!

Still, we shouldn’t get too downhearted, should we… we’re on a ‘Voyage of Discovery’, as Adkins would say (and does), so we should be enjoying it and this was still a good day out.

Only a couple of hundred travelling Iron in attendance but there was a respectable SULSESC representation, boosted considerably by Gary Brackenbury “tracking the full side” with a family trip.

Messrs. Sumner and Pratt took in a full weekend in Devon while there were no excuses for ‘SULSESC real ale guru’ Nick Haines and better half Susan not to put in an appearance. After ‘emigrating’ to Cornwall, this was their nearest game of the season.

Yours truly scabbed a lift there with the aforementioned Mr. Pratt (thanks again for the lift, Dave!), and hooked up with the ‘train gang’ of Matt Gray, Chris Vaughan and Karen for the journey home. The 17.40 replacement bus service to Tiverton was bang on time, we managed to squeeze in a bit of Black Maria on the Tiverton-Paddington leg, and after Karen dashed straight off home to Brentwood upon arrival at Paddington to check the result of the day-long food fight between Neil and Ben, the boys fitted in one last pint in the station bar.

All in all, a top day, with a gem of a pub found at lunchtime in The Fortescue courtesy of SRAG Nick. It was just a shame about the bit between 3 pm and 5 pm…