Plymouth Argyle condemn Swindon Town to fifth cup defeat

Ronan Curtis tucked home a penalty to give Plymouth the lead, before Antwoine Hackford levelled for Town.

After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing in the second half, Seb Campbell struck at the death to win it for Plymouth.

That means that for the second year in four, Swindon have failed to win a single cup match this season, losing on all five outings.

Mitch Clark, Matty Virtue, and Joel McGregor were the only players to start both this game and against Milton Keynes Dons at the weekend. Freddie Hoare and Briel Da Costa both kept their places from the previous Jersey Mike’s Trophy match, and Jacob Hagan was in a senior squad for the first time.

Although they were heavily rotated, Swindon were playing a more experienced side than Plymouth, and this showed early on. They were controlling possession and working play from side to side.

The intricate combinations between Jaylan Pearman and Matty Virtue and the wing-backs were creating some incisive moves.

After seven minutes, Tom Nichols won possession in the Plymouth half and drove forward. He had Clark to his left and Millard to his right, and he tried to slip the latter into the box, only for the pass to be cut out.

However, some of the passing was causing issues. Pearman gave the ball away under no pressure, skewing a pass to Curtis. He tried to take the shot instantly, but managed to hit James Debayo.

Most of the problems were coming down the Swindon left, as Oliver Irow was causing havoc. First, he drew Pearman away and found Joe Mwaro outside him to deliver onto the head of Owen Oseni. Then, he came inside and delivered for Curtis, who headed at Lewis Ward.

Town’s goalkeeper was then their hero, as a Plymouth corner was met at the near post, forcing him into a lightning reaction save.

By 30 minutes, the Plymouth pace was proving too much for Swindon. Curtis got away down the left, found Oseni, and he sent Kaelan Majekodunmi sliding, bringing him down for a penalty. Curtis stepped up and converted it.

Having been something of a bystander, Hackford then fired a warning shot. He won the race to a loose ball, and then went motoring through the Plymouth half. He got down the side of the box, but James Storer was wise to his finish.

In the 35th minute, he punished the Pilgrims. Tom Nichols got to the ball and curled a pass into Hackford’s path. He burned Jared Rendle and shot at the near post. Storer got there, but the ball wriggled through him and into the net.

At the break, there were positives and negatives. Hackford had turned in his best 45 minutes in a Swindon shirt, and they had been good at controlling possession. However, a front four for Plymouth was creating a lot of numerical disadvantages at the back, and this was compounded by a lot of loose passes in midfield.

With fitness in mind, both teams made changes at the break, and these seemed to make Plymouth stronger.

Xavier Amaechi was introduced and swiftly struck a shot that won a corner. From that, Bradley Ibrahim’s flicked header just avoided Rendle at the far post. Then, Oliver Irow drifted inside and was very close to picking out the top corner.

Town managed to ride out that storm and calm the game back down. This soon led to chances of their own.

Pearman’s free kick from wide drifted out to Joe Snowdon at the back post. He brought the ball down, but sent it high over the crossbar.

Another Pearman free kick then caused bother, this time a direct one. He curled it low, around the wall, and had Storer scampering across his line to tip it around the post.

The game was creeping towards penalties, when Campbell found space behind the Swindon midfield and played the ball through for Irow. With time to set himself, he placed the ball towards the far corner, only for Ward to make a tremendous save.

The home side seemed more likely to win it, strengthened by a subs bench of senior players, and came agonisingly close as James Ball’s header dropped for Harvey White. He leathered one at goal, the effort flying just wide of the post.

Swindon then thought it was theirs as Ball lifted Anthony Munda’s free kick into the net, only to have been in an offside position.

As Ward seemed destined for more penalty heroic, Amaechi got away deep into stoppage time, drove down the side of the box, and found Campbell to tap into an empty net.

PAFC starting XI: Storer, MacKenzie, Curtis, Irow, Oseni, Hartridge, Ibrahim, Campbell, Mwaro, Rendle, Maund.

PAFC substitutes: Cooper, Ross, Boateng, White, Evans, Amaechi, Harding.

STFC starting XI: Ward, Clark, Nichols, Debayo, Majekodunmi, Pearman, Virtue, Hackford, McGregor, Griffiths-Brown, Millard.

STFC substitutes: Summers, Ball, Snowdon, Munda, Hoare, Da Costa, Hagan.

Attendance: 2,508 (144 away).