Plymouth Argyle 3 Exeter City 0

Three layers that have been nurtured by Argyle’s youth system completed a memorable, comfortable victory over nearest rivals Exeter City.

Goals from Tyler Harvey, a Plymothian boy; Reuben Reid, a Bristolian that emerged from the Argyle academy, and Curtis Nelson, a Stokie by birth but now captain of the team he finished his footballing education with, gave Argyle their first win of the season.

None will feel sweeter.

Harvey was called into the starting eleven in place of the injured Lee Cox, and lined up with Lewis Alessandra and Jason Banton as a three-man support system for frontman Reid.

Ollie Norburn and Anthony O’Connor sat deeper in the centre of midfield, protecting a back four of Kelvin Mellor, Nelson, Peter Hartley and Carl McHugh.

Argyle got off to a flying start, earning a early corner and striking the crossbar through captain Curtis Nelson, who thundered a header just inches too high.

The Pilgrims forced a series of corners before the game was ten minutes old, with Harvey, Alessandra and McHugh all having efforts that did little to concern City’s backline.

In between times Exeter had a sighter of goal via Liam Sercombe, which troubled block five more than Luke McCormick, before the same player went down under a nibble from Hartley. There looked to be little contact, but at the risk of setting off football’s omnipresent cliché klaxon – you’ve seen ‘em given.

Argyle, however, were awarded a free-kick for a foul on Banton on the corner of the edge of the area, which itself was a little dubious. However, there was no uncertainty over Harvey’s dead-ball. Hit with power and swerve toward Christy Pym’s near post, the flailing City keeper was powerless to stop Harvey’s bullet strike.

The trio of Harvey, Banton and Alessandra were fluid, and allied with the battering-ram presence of Reid, caused Exeter’s three-man defence serious issues. Goal hero Harvey, though, probably ought to have fed Alessandra when the latter was in space to his left. The young man, though, buoyed by the adrenaline of scoring in a game he not long ago watched as a fan, took a chance missed the target.

Alessandra shot wide when feeding off of the scraps of yet another Argyle corner, before Exeter raised an alarm for the first time in some time when Woodman’s bundled cross was bravely headed away by Hartley.

Banton, the man who scored a vital goal two season previous in the same fixture, then went on a run in which he seemed to have a forcefield surrounding him. Evading defenders at will, he passed the ball and his powers onto Reid, who also seemed to repel all around him. When the ball ended up back with Banton inside the area, he elected to attempt to feed Reid rather pull the trigger, and Pym gratefully gathered.

The affliction seemed to stay with Banton as he was played in beautifully by Reid, but unselfishly – to a fault - squared to Harvey, whose deflected effort dribbled wide.

Banton was, though, looking the part, and a tearing run down the left led to the Pilgrims’ second. The entire front four, who had to that time had a scintillating and dominant time, displayed their class. Banton, leaving yellow shirts in his wake, fed inside to Alessandra, who in turn played to Harvey.

The goalscorer’s through-pass was incisive, and as a confident Reid glided into space behind Exeter, the outcome was never really in doubt. Reid had his third in as many games this season, and Argyle had a comfortable lead to take into half-time.

City boss Paul Tisdale’s response was to change personnel and system at the break. David Wheeler and Graham Cummins – the latter having signed on Friday after Exeter’s transfer embargo was lifted – replaced Danny Butterfield and Jordan Tillson, with Exeter switching to a 4-4-2 system.

Read the rest of the match report here.