Argyle get no reward for battling display

PLYMOUTH Argyle were beaten by an 83rd-minute goal as their former manager Steven Schumacher saw his Stoke City side come out on top 0-1 on his return to Home Park.

- CHRIS ERRINGTON

It leaves Wayne Rooney's Pilgrims still waiting for their first Championship win of the season after four games, and their next one is not for a fortnight due to the forthcoming international break.

Stoke's main threat all match was Dutch attacker Million Manhoef and he was denied a goal by a number of excellent saves from Conor Hazard before finally scoring late on with a fine finish.

Argyle had created some good second-half chances of their own, with Morgan Whittaker and substitute Michael Obafemi, on his home debut, forcing fine stops out of Viktor Johansson in the visitor's goal, but they could not find a way through.

So while their performance was a fully committed one it was not enough for them to get any reward and they have just two points out of a possible 12 at the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

Argyle's starting line-up showed two changes from the 1-1 draw away to Queens Park Rangers in their previous Championship match, with defender Kornel Szucs and midfielder Jordan Houghton coming into the side in place of Brendan Galloway and Adam Forshaw.

Forshaw, who had been sent-off for a second bookable offence in the first half at QPR, was named among the substitutes after being suspended for the midweek 2-0 Carabao Cup second-round defeat away to Watford, but Galloway was not in the matchday squad.

Hazard was back between the posts for the Pilgrims after recent recruit Dan Grimshaw made his debut at Watford in the Carabao Cup.

Transfer deadline day signing Rami AI Hajj, the 22-year-old Swedish midfielder who completed a transfer from Danish club Odense, was not available to play Stoke as his deal was not done in time.

The selection of Szucs meant Lewis Gibson could revert to playing as the left-sided centre-back and Whittaker took up his regular place in the starting line-up after Argyle rejected late transfer window bids for him from Burnley.