Buckland Athletic v Argyle Report
Buckland 3
Bush 35, Kane 42, Cooper og 71
Argyle 9
B Moore 2, Purrington 8, Jephcott 23, 38, 56, pen 60, Fletcher 73, 89, Burdon 86
NEW signing Byron Moore kicked off an entertaining goalfest at Homers Heath in which the Pilgrims' Welsh youth international Luke Jephcott scored four goals on the night.
Tom Purrington and Isaac Burdon were also on target for a young Argyle side, with Ryan Bush and Louis Kane replying for the Toolstation Western League hosts and Pilgrims' goalkeeper Mike Cooper dubiously conceding an own goal.
Moore took no time at all to announce his arrival in the Westcoiuntry, seizing on a mistake by the home defance that left him with the freedom of Newton Abbot and cooly steering the ball past goalkeeper Kenny Griffiths.
Griffiths, something of a living legend in Devon non-league circles, then kept the Pilgrims at bay with a superb triple save, denying Klaidi Lolos, Moore and Purrington in one athletic continuous passage of play.
Purrington, playing in one of the two No.10 positions, had his moment soon afterwards, though, playing a one-two with Lolos before smacking the ball inside Griffith's post.
Argyle controlled porceedings and increased their lead midway through the firtst half when the Pilgrims' other Moore, Tafari, joined the attack and clipped over a cross from the right that Jephcott tucked in at the near post, first time.
Buckland enoyed their best spell of the first half after Jephcott's goal and Bush twice gave notice of his menace before beating Alex Palmer with a shot across the Arrgyle custodian.
The Pilgrims restored their three-goal margin almost immediately, with Jephcott this time benefiting from Lolos's approach play.
Kane's goal signalled a period of ascendency for the home team, either side of the half-time interval that was broken when Jephcott headed in Adam Randell's cross to complete his hat-trick
Four minutes later, Jephcott notched his fourth, drawing a foul in the penalty area and bouncing up to beat Griffiths from 12 yards.
Buckland were fortunate to reduce the deficit when Cooper, a half-time substitute for Palmer, was quite clearly fouled in claiming Joe Belstern's cross, the collision jarring the ball from his hands.
Fletcher claimed the tenth goal of the game as the home side tired, breaking on the counter and beating the unlucky Griffiths with some ease.
Four minutes from time, scholar Burdon, on as a substitute, tapped home at the far post after a corner, before the final word went to Fletcher, with a cracking finish to round off a pleasing evening's work.
Buckland Athletic (4-5-1): 1 Kenny Griffiths; 2 Joe Belstern, 5 Owen Stockton, 6 Dan Harrison (capt), 3 Danny Gaze; 4 Nick Rudge (12 Stuart Morgan 56), 8 Louis Kane (14 Manni Chaplin 64), 7 Ceiran Bridger, 10 Nathan Cooper (16 Can Kelly 56), 11 Lloyd Gardner (18 Matt Dawson 90); 9 Ryan Bush (15 Jordan Ewing 64). Substitute (not used): 17 Aaron Wellngton.
Booked: Gaze 81.
Argyle (3-5-2): 13 Alex Palmer (31 Mike Cooper half-time); 26 Cameron Sangster, 28 Mike Peck, 25 Ollie Tomlinson; 22 Tafari Moore, 24 Luke Jephcott, 20 Adam Randell (capt), 30 Tom Purrington, 23 Ashley Smith-Brown (16 Reuben Collum 64); 17 Byron Moore (29 Alex Fletcher half-time), 19 Klaidi Lolos (15 Isaac Burdon 56).
Referee: Scott Jackson.