United 0
Plymouth 5
(Azaz 7′, Mayor 20′, 57′, Randell 45′, Endacott 55′)
United went down to their first pre-season defeat on Tuesday evening, as Plymouth ran out 5-0 winners at Plainmoor.
The United players, bedecked in their new yellow home strip for the first time, started well enough, with Aaron Jarvis warming the palms of visiting goalkeeper Michael Cooper with a second-minute drive from just outside the box.
That was, in truth, a relatively comfortable save for the Argyle ‘keeper, however a couple of minutes later, he was seriously tested.
With Jarvis’ persistence proving too much for full-back Finley Craske on the left of the box, Brett McGavin sent in the resultant free-kick towards goal with attitude, forcing Cooper to parry the ball away from its destination in top-right corner.
Having started so well, it was therefore disappointing when Plymouth opened the scoring in the 7th minute.
With the Torquay players backing off from Finn Azaz as he made swift progress just right of centre, the Argyle forward looked up briefly before drilling a diagonal low shot past Mark Halstead from 20 yards.
After taking a few moments to regroup, Johnson’s men responded by going within a whisker of levelling the scores.
A dinked ball over the top in the on 17 minutes initially seemed to favour those in green, however after failing to give up on the perceived lost cause, Corie Andrews nipped in-between the Argyle backline and the stranded Cooper, before an outstretched boot delivered a dinked effort that looped goalwards… before bouncing just wide.
Two minutes later and the ball did reach its intended target, as McGavin’s right-footed free-kick perfectly connected with Ross Marshall’s head before nestling in the back of the net. The referee’s assistant instantly flagged though, ruling the goal out for offside.
If Torquay felt aggrieved at being a goal down, it was about to get even worse.
In similar fashion to the first effort, a quick counter attack caught United out, with Danny Mayor carrying the ball closer and closer towards goal, before gleefully accepting the invitation and firing his right-footed effort past Halstead from just outside the box.
Despite showing up well against their League One opponents in parts, Plymouth continued to find space to create shooting opportunities, with Mayor going close again eleven minutes before the interval, as he jinked into the penalty area before sending his low effort across the face of goal – it only required a touch.
Just before the break, Johnson’s charges so nearly reduced the deficit, yet after some sparkling footwork from Kieron Evans, his low ball from the left may have forced Cooper to fumble, but the ball came at Jarvis too quickly, forcing him to poke the rebound wide of the upright.
On the stroke of half time, a popular former member of the rubbed salt into the wound, as a short corner was worked into the path of former Gulls Young Player of the Year Adam Randell, who fired home from twelve yards.
There were chances at both ends following a lively restart, with Plymouth substitute Jack Endacott firing wide as he looked to finish of another counter-attack in the 48th minute, before Dean Moxey’s foray down the left wing ended in a low cross that new signing Will Goodison nearly steered home at the near post, and whilst Ryan Hanson and Dylan Crowe did their best to profit from the rebound, Argyle’s defence did enough to repel the attack.
Just when the Yellow Army were hoping to see their side gain a foothold in proceedings, a double sucker-punch killed any hopes of a fightback off.
First, an attack down the right culminated in Halstead making a point-blank save, however it failed to prevent the inevitable, with Endacott on hand to slam home the rebound in the 55th minute.
Similar followed from the opposite flank just two minutes later, with the overworked Halstead again doing well enough to prevent the initial effort from Endacott, only for Mayor to fire home his second of the evening to make it five.
As you would expect from any Gary Johnson side, The Gulls kept plugging away, with a couple of decent breaks down the right seeing Jarvis just fail to pick out his new strike partner Goodwin in the centre.
Their opponents continued to pose a threat at the other end though, with Rhys Lovett rising off the bench to produce a couple of smart saves as Plymouth threatened to add a sixth.
Goodwin’s determination to crown his first appearance with a goal went on though, with a run and shot five minutes from time forcing a near-post smothering save from Cooper.
Two minutes later, and the on-loan striker was at it again, this time seeing his shot from the angle cleared off the line, as his turn of pace was enough to outwit the visiting backline.
Despite their efforts, there wasn’t to be any late consolation for United, with the final whistle sounding shortly after.
One more test before things really get going then, as old rivals Exeter head to Plainmoor to round off our warm-up campaign on Saturday.
United: 1. Mark Halstead (13. Rhys Lovett, 70′), 2. Dylan Crowe, 5. Ali Omar, 6. Ross Marshall (23. Ollie Tomlinson, 70′), 7. Ryan Hanson, 9. Aaron Jarvis (17. Callum Thomas, 81′), 10. Corie Andrews (19. Will Goodwin, HT), 11. Kieron Evans (25. Jack Winsor, 75′), 14. Brett McGavin, 16. Shaun Donnellan, 21. Dean Moxey (c).
SUBS: 45. Zak Baker (GK), 4. Jordan Houghton, 8. Joe Edwards, 9. Ryan Hardie, 22. Brendan Galloway, 28. Panutche Camara, 31. Luke Jephcott, 37. Brandon Pursall, 42. Jack Endacott, 43. Oscar Halls.
Attendance: 2,511 (982 away)