Dec 26 AFC Bournemouth 0-2 Plymouth Argyle Att: 8901

Last updated : 27 December 2003 By Ellis Griffin
After the recent defeat at Wycombe, SOD had obviously decided that changes were necessary, so Buxton lined up at right-back and Maher joined Broadhurst in central defence, allowing Carl Fletcher to move forward into his erstwhile midfield position. Hayter was also recalled to midfield alongside Browning and Purches, which meant that the former midfield pair of Stock and O'Connor (both facing suspension) found themselves on the bench.

With a good number of Argyle fans making the trip "north", there was a lively atmosphere in the ground as the game kicked off under leaden skies with a blustery wind favouring the visitors. The contrast between the two sides soon became apparent – the men in green looking confident and us looking hesitant. Noticeable quicker to the ball, Argyle dominated the opening twenty minutes or so, winning corners and free kicks in dangerous positions. However, despite a few anxious moments, we gradually weathered the storm and began to mount a few attacks of our own, but without really threatening. The visitors still had the edge in midfield, with Browning in particular getting caught in possession far too often.

Midway through the half, the visitors' quickness in closing us down brought its reward, albeit in a slightly fortuitous manner: Maher took a fraction of a second too long in deciding where to put a routine clearance from the back and his kick was charged down. The resulting chase back towards our goal looked defendable until Maher and Moss hesitated for a split second, causing Moss to fail to make good contact with the ball as he attempted to hack it clear. The ball skidded to Wotton just inside our half and the Argyle man tried his luck with Moss still well out of his goal. People behind our goal report that the ball was going well wide until the swirling wind caught it and wafted it into the net in front of the North Stand.

We tried hard to get back on terms and had a few shots at goal, all of which were blocked. The closest we came to scoring was a Carl Fletcher shot from a free kick which McCormick tipped over. However, that was our captain's main contribution, as he soon had to leave the field with what looked like a hamstring injury and was replaced by Wade Elliott.

The game was fairly even now, with Purches taking on the Argyle defence single-handedly with a strong run from midfield and Moss having to make a good save from Lowndes. However, five minutes from the break the visitors doubled their lead with another somewhat bizarre goal. Norris was given too much space around the edge of the box and managed a decent shot which struck the junction of bar and upright. The ball went high into the air and came down on the other side of the goal before bouncing up into the roof of the net. Plymouth deserved to be a goal up at half-time, but two-nil flattered them somewhat.

HT: 0-2

Predictably the lads threw everything at them in the second half, with the wind strengthening and the rain falling more heavily. We forced the visitors into giving away several free kicks in dangerous positions, but nothing came of them (why is Stock never there when we need him? And when he is there, why do we never get free kicks around the box?). Hayter went close with a shot on the turn after a good run by Cummings who was having an excellent game. The Scotsman's inswinging corners from the right were also causing havoc in the visitors' defence (why doesn't he always take them?), but the ball just wouldn't fall for us. And when it did, McCormick (who isn't even Argyle's first string goalie) managed to stop anything that came his way – definitely their MOM – coming up with the ball after a goalmouth melee and managing to get in a block in a one-on-one with Hayter when a goal looked inevitable.

Feeney shot just wide, Browning hit the bar, Elliott shot just wide and just over. Feeney one-on-one with McCormick TWICE, but each time the Argyle stopper proved unbeatable. And so it went on. One of the biggest cheers of the afternoon came when Supa chased a lost cause a good 40 yards to the corner flag, slid under the defender and stood up with the ball. But everyone gave 100% in that second half without any reward.

Plymouth boss Sturrock was honest enough to admit that his team had "got out of jail" in the second half. But when you're top of the table and playing with confidence, you do seem to enjoy all the luck that going. Unfortunately, we're getting the kind of luck you experience at the other end of the table when, despite all your efforts, nothing seems to go right. I don't know how serious Carl Fletcher's injury is, but that was another blow.

So, in just a few weeks we've gone out of the Cup to Conference side and slipped from a playoff place to the lower half of the table. The players really have to keep believing in themselves and some so-called supporters really must stop whinging and get behind the team. We had to cope with losing a key player, and the new defensive lineup managed to restrict a hitherto free-scoring side to a couple of freak goals. And the spirit of the team was plain to see in the second half.

Some fans are so negative, mainly because their expectations are unrealistic. We still need twenty points to retain our 2nd division status (which always has been the priority), although just a few wins could see us back in the playoff positions. There's still a long way to go!

Warren Cummings really gave it his all (who said he can't head the ball?)

AFCB: Moss, Buxton, Cummings, Maher, Broadhurst, C Fletcher (Elliott 33), Purches, Browning, Hayter, Feeney, S Fletcher
Subs not used: Stock, O'Connor, Connell, Thomas
Ellis Griffin, Chertsey