Plymouth Argyle made light of the absence of top goalscorer Lorent Tolaj to edge past relegation-threatened Doncaster Rovers on Saturday afternoon.
The Pilgrims did it the hard way, coming from behind after Elliot Lee’s audacious opener for the visitors.
Plymouth also missed a prime opportunity to take the lead early in the second period, but ultimately they weren’t left to rue that chance.
Talking Point
Bim Pepple continued his hot streak by firing the home side on level terms in first-half stoppage time, and they were gifted a chance to turn the scores around moments into the second 45. After Ronan Curtis won a penalty, he had the opportunity to convert from 12 yards. However, Rovers goalkeeper Zander Clark had other ideas, saving the spot-kick.
Both Curtis and Pepple were denied on the rebound, as Clark’s goal remained intact. Unfortunately for Grant McCann’s outfit, that couldn’t spark an unlikely victory, as the Pilgrims’ pressure eventually told. Herbie Kane came off the bench to strike from another set piece, netting from a free-kick to seal all three points for the home side.
While Argyle boss Tom Cleverley admitted his judgement was wrong, he wasn’t too hard on the former Portsmouth man.
“I watched all their previous penalties and was really impressed with the calmness that Ronan [Curtis] had at this level in these environments. So that one is completely on me. We have to assess confidence and how good a moment Bim [Pepple] is in moving forward with the penalties. We live and learn.
“We always do a one and two. Ronan is one, Bim is two. It has been close. I just like the fact that Ronan has taken them at this level at Fratton Park. Maybe the confidence and the moment Bim is in should have taken part in that decision-making process, but both technically good players, both good finishers and today it wasn’t Ronan’s day.”
Are Play-Offs A Reasonable Objective?
When Plymouth dropped to the bottom of League One at the start of November, pressure continued to mount on boss Cleverley. However, only the top three sides have taken more points since that date, as the Pilgrims continue their ascent up the third-tier standings.
Four wins in five matches have lifted Argyle into the top 10 places in the third tier. They remain outsiders to make the play-off places, but perhaps that lack of pressure will prove beneficial during the run-in. Cleverley’s side have the chance to halve their six-point deficit to sixth-place Huddersfield Town tomorrow evening, visiting Wigan Athletic before facing fellow play-off hopefuls Reading on Saturday.