Plymouth Argyle 4 Oldham Athletic 1: Match report

ARGYLE sent Plymouth into the party season singing and dancing all the way to Christmas Day with a convincing and thoroughly enjoyable victory over Oldham Athletic that took them out of the Sky Bet League One relegation places.

They made a flying start against opponents who had jetted down to the Westcountry, and were two goals up and well on their way to their biggest win since clinching promotion against Newport eight months previously thanks to goals from Toumani Diagouraga and the peerless Graham Carey inside the opening six minutes.

Oldham very briefly threatened to spoil one of the best months in the club’s history when Anthony Gerrard (cousin of) headed home shortly after half-time. However, an immediate riposte from Ryan Edwards settled uneasy stomachs and substitute Jake Jervis put the bows and tags on a welcome Christmas gift to the Green Army with a fourth.

After fielding a relatively settled line-up for the past few weeks – apart from in the goalkeeping department, naturally – Argyle showed three changes from the side that had been deprived of a win at Rotherham seven days earlier only by a stoppage-time equaliser.

One was enforced, with Aaron Taylor-Sinclair the victim of a training-ground injury. Gary Sawyer reverted to his natural left-back position with Oscar Threlkeld coming in for only his third start of the season on the right.

The other switch saw Jervis and Joel Grant, supporting attackers to Ryan Taylor recently, benched in favour of Yann Songo'o and, more surprisingly, Ruben Lameiras. It was not simply the fact that Lameiras was making only his second start of the campaign that raised an eyebrow – in recent weeks, the Portuguese had not only failed to make Argyle's 18-man squad but he also had a trail...with Oldham.

The Pilgrims' bench included two of the club's Under-18 side that knocked Manchester City's prestigious Academy out of the FA Youth Cup, apprentice goalkeeper Michael Cooper and midfielder Cameron Sangster.

The surprise selections carried over to the opposition, who were without the division's third-highest scorer – and former Argyle target – Eoin Doyle and named only six substitutes, one of who was former Pilgrim Tope Obadeyi.

In the time it takes to whip up decent eggnog, Argyle were two goals to the good.

Indeed the first six minutes of the game were a microcosm of Home Park life under derek Adams’ management: a Carey goal and a Carey assist.

To be accurate, the Irish midfielder’s involvement in the first goal was what analysts these days refer to a ‘pre-assist’, a driving run towards the edge of the Oldham penalty area before smart ball into the feet of Taylor.

The big man slipped in Diagouraga, whose run behind the opposition defence appeared out of sync with the pass, a little on the early side, but the linesman’s flag stayed down and Toums took the ball around goalkeeper Johny Placide before slipping it home.

A 1-0 lead after three minutes became a 2-0 lead three minutes later when another perceptive run into space, this time from Carey, was equally expertly picked up by David Fox.

A long pass over Oldham’s back line was placed precisely into the Carey’s path with just enough enticement on the ball to lure Placide from his goal-line. Having won the race, Carey got out the lob-wedge to lift the ball into the net with technique that made the execution look far easier than it actually was.

The goalscorers came together a little later and came as close as Christmas Eve to making it three.

Carey skinned Gerrard on the byline, right in front of Oldham’s travelling support and waited until the ideal moment before playing what looked like the ideal delivery to another well-timed Diagouraga run into the six-yard box.

Latics’ midfielder Ryan McLaughlin had not bowed to the apparent inevitable and deprived Toums of his third goal in three games with a remarkable interception. Even he could probably not tell you precisely how he pulled it off.

Argyle throttled back and stuck the Green Machine in cruise control, feathering the accelerator now and again, notably when Fox began and ended a liquid move that saw him flying in at the far post to get on the end of Carey’s cross.

Sonny Bradley was the next Pilgrim to benefit from Carey’s promptings when Argyle’s unplayable No.10 found him with a free-kick. Bradley’s header was firm and flicked goalwards but a little bit too high.

Oldham re-organised at the interval, abandoning their three-at-the-back experiment and introducing Aaron Holloway, previously a thorn in the Pilgrims’ side when at Wycombe, to their attack.

Read the full match report here.