Argyle 1 Shrewsbury 1: Match report

SHREWSBURY recorded their 13th game unbeaten in this season's Sky Bet League One - but they may not have expected it to be such hard work against an organised, spirited Argyle side 23 places beneath them.

The Pilgrims soaked up any early Shrewsbury intent with ease, played their way into the game, then led through a stunning Graham Carey strike around the hour mark. For 20 minutes, the Green Army dreamed of a first win in two months, in 11 league games, but it was not to be.

Shaun Whalley's precise finish with a dozen minutes remaining gave the leaders parity - and injected some life into them. They looked more likely to win at the death, but Argyle hung on gamely to get a point they thoroughly earned.

Derek Adams had decided not only to bring in the newest Pilgrim, Toumani Diagouraga, to the starting line-up, following his signing on Monday, but also to call four others into the starting 11.

David Fox joined Diagouraga in the centre of Argyle's midfield; Joel Grant replaced Gregg Wylde on the left flank; Alex Fletcher started up front in place of Nathan Blissett; and Aaron Taylor-Sinclair started the game at left back, with Gary Sawyer starting at right back, with Oscar Threlkeld out through injury.

Antoni Sarcevic was the third man in a packed Argyle midfield, with Graham Carey starting the game wide on the right. Sonny Bradley, back in the squad following a three-game suspension, had to settle for a place on the bench.

Argyle set out a stall early on to try to absorb Shrewsbury possession, and limit the areas in which the league leaders could play. The game fell into a pattern in the early stages where the visitors build from their back four and tried to steadily build towards goal, but the Pilgrims saw out the first quarter of the game with the minimum of fuss.

Such a containing attitude meant Argyle attacks were at a premium, and so when a corner found Yann Songo'o totally unmarked, his errant header felt even more profligate.

That said, in fairness to the in-form Songo'o, a header at the other end, defending a free-kick, was vitally important, with two Shrews waiting to pounce.

The game of cat and another small furry mammal (Shrews are not Rodents - did you know that?) seemed to to come to an emphatic end some ten minutes before the interval. Argyle had a long period of possession, relatively speaking, interupted by a swift break forward by Shrewsbury's Ben Godfrey.

Godfrey raced most of the length of the pitch, but when he seemed to enter the danger area he was dispossessed by a terrific challenge from the retreating David Fox. One suspects shrews see foxes as natural enemies, mind you.

Argyle, from an attack built by the Vulpine One, got the ball out to Carey eventually, who ripped a shot on target, but right down goalkeeper Dean Henderson's throat. Mitigating that, though, was the sun, blazing unseasonably above the grandstand, and affecting Henderson's vision. He saved, and pushed the ball away, but it was less than convincing due to this ocular interference.

The Pilgrims kept up the offence, and from an advanced free-kick that Shrewsbury failed to clear, Argyle came the closest to opening the scoring. A ball intended for Fletcher took a couple of diversions before ending up with Sarcevic, who did well to control and shoot on the turn, but his left-footed effort from the six-yard line was slightly elevated, and went centimetres over the cross bar.

It was the first part of a frustrating end to the half for Sarcevic, who had treatment for an injury shortly afterwards, and would depart before the referee's interval whistle, replaced by Jervis. Before the end of the half Argyle had time to see Carey put a free-kick on target, with the ball again shovelled away unconvincingly.

Read the full match report here.