Plymouth Argyle 0 Burnley 5
Burnley took on Plymouth Argyle at Home Park in the late Wednesday evening kick-off. Read on for my thoughts and images from the game.
As usual, I travelled with Burnley Football Supporters Club, getting on the bus at Queensgate Depot, at a leisurely 10:20. The midweek kick-off necessitated a day's leave from work, and while I contemplated working on the bus, thought better of it.
We stopped twice on the way south, at the dreadful Hilton Park Services, and the wonderful Gloucester Services, ran by Westmoreland, eventually arriving in Plymouth shortly after 6pm.
After popping into the Argyle Superstore to collect my program, I walked around to the Barn Park End where I headed up to my seat for a while to take in the empty stadium. I did not realise that the tunnel exits from the corner here, much as it does the Turf, bringing the players into much closer proximity at half and full time. Scott Parker was down posing for selfies with supporters when I arrived. Michael Obafemi also spent some time stood in our corner - he is on loan out at Plymouth this season.
The big shock was the absence of Morgan Whittaker from the Plymouth line-up. Linked heavily with both Burnley and Middlesbrough, there were chants throughout of "Morgan Whittaker, he's claret and blue". Turns out they were misguided, as Whittaker appears destined for another season of Championship football on Teeside.
Burnley were out of sight in the first half, showing both the incisiveness and ruthlessness that has been absent for much of the season. Likely Plymouth's performance was heavily weighed on by the late arrival of Whittaker, and his removal from their team sheet at the last minute.
Plymouth put in quite a good performance at Turf Moor back in the autumn, eventually succumbing to a 1-0 defeat, though always in the game. Their form had fallen away considerably since then, culminating in the departure of Wayne Rooney as manager in December.
Burnley were ahead in the 11th minute, a Josh Brownhill cross from the right finding Zian Flemming near the centre circle, we connected with the ball at height to volley it to the left of Grimshaw into the Plymouth goal with force.
Flemming added as second in the 31st minute, Cullen playing a long and direct free kick towards the right of the Plymouth area. Jaidon Anthony played the ball back across the box, low this time, and taking a slight deflection off the defender into the path of Flemming, who rifled it home from the edge of the 6 yard box.
The Plymouth collapse accelerated in the 34th minute, Jaidon Anthony passing the ball out to Connor Robert. near the right corner. Roberts cut the ball back behind the centre spot, from where Josh Laurent fired it high and to the left of Grimshaw, leaving him with no chance.
Laurent got his second in the 45th minute when a Connor Roberts cross found Lyle Foster beyond the back post. Foster chipped the ball up and towards the centre of the goal, it looks like it was probably heading in anyway, but Laurent put his head on it to make sure.
Plymouth gifted Burnley a 5th three minutes later with an abysmal back pass. Grimshaw did enough to move the ball away from hat-trick chasing Zian Flemming, but the rebound landed with Josh Cullen, who fired home from near the D.
At half-time it felt like this game could end in a cricket score, and indeed some Plymouth fans had started to exit the Mayflower Grandstand to our left as soon as the second goal went in. It was not to be though, Plymouth showing more resilience, Hannibal firing a free kick from outside the D narrowly over, and the pull down of Foster in the box going unpunished. We had to make do with a much more ordinary 0-5.
