PROUD OF PILGRIMS

MUCH-CHANGED ARGYLE PUSHED PALACE 'ALL THE WAY'

- CHRIS ERRINGTON

STEVEN Schumacher was in upbeat mood despite Plymouth Argyle's highly eventful 4-2 Carabao Cup second round defeat by Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace at Home Park on Tuesday night.

The Eagles' Premier League quality proved decisive in the end, but only after a much-changed Pilgrims' side took a two-goal lead through striker Ben Waine and on-loan Wolves midfielder Luke Cundle.

When Cundle scored with a terrific curling shot to make it 2-0 just 32 seconds after the half-time restart it looked like Argyle were on their way to round three.

However, Palace hit back with three goals in a frantic five-minute spell around the hour mark after a triple substitution by Hodgson, which included the introduction of classy England international midfielder Eberechi Eze.

Even after that, Argyle kept taking the game to their south London opponents and Waine forced goalkeeper Sam Johnstone into an excellent diving save to prevent an equaliser.

The match eventually went out of reach for the Pilgrims, though, when striker Jean-Philippe Mateta completed his hat-trick in the 83rd minute.

Nonetheless, it was an Argyle performance which Schumacher, as well as the Green Army in a crowd of close to 16,000, could be proud of.