REPORT | ARGYLE 1 QPR 1
Argyle 1
Adomah o.g. 85
QPR 1
Field 74
A late own goal handed Argyle another valuable point in the increasingly fraught fight against relegation from the Sky Bet Championship.
QPR are facing the same tense season finale as the Pilgrims, and it showed in a game that was full of tension. The deadlock was broken by a bundled goal from Sam Field with 16 minutes remaining and the Greens were staring at a damaging defeat.
The response was full of character and, matching the scruffiness of the QPR goal, the Pilgrims earned a point when a corner from Adam Randell was deflected into his own net by Albert Adomah.
Argyle named the same side that secured a crucial 1-0 victory at Rotherham on Friday night and the atmosphere inside Home Park was electric.
Greeted by an unbelievable wall of noise, both sets of players were at full throttle in the opening exchanges. Home captain Joe Edwards positioned himself perfectly for a vital clearance from a Paul Smyth cross and then Ilias Chair lashed over from 20 yards for the visitors.
Argyle settled into their attacking rhythm with a delicious passing move that had QPR briefly chasing shadows. Ashley Phillips drove forward and into space before feeding the ball to Morgan Whittaker, who fizzed his 25-yarder narrowly wide.
Despite the early enthusiasm from the terraces, it was, in truth, a tense opening half-hour. Callum Wright injected some creativity with a clever exchange of passes with Edwards, but the final shot was too high to test QPR ‘keeper Asmir Begovic.
Chair replied with a delightful jink into the box but Dan Scarr, continuing his excellence from Rotherham, read the danger to clear. The lively Chair then floated a deep cross toward Smyth, who took a touch before firing into the side-netting.
No goals at half-time but a massive amount to play for.
The enterprising Chair almost pounced after Phillips lost his footing early in the second period, thankfully steering his shot into the side-netting. The Greens replied with a cheeky free-kick from Whittaker, aimed at the near post and just about pawed away by Begovic.
Space and chances were beginning to open up, Argyle breaking at pace after an initial challenge from Scarr. The pace of Hardie almost caught up with the ball but Rangers were able to see out the danger.
Back to QPR, and they should have scored. Lyndon Dykes broke into space and fed the ball to Smyth, who perhaps more time than he realised, and the eventual shot was brilliantly saved by Michael Cooper.
Begovic then matched his opposite number, using all his experience and wingspan to deny Mumba before the Greens introduced Matty Sorinola and Adam Forshaw for Edwards and Jordan Houghton.
QPR continued to ask questions, substitute Chris Willock cross for Dykes, and his nod back only just eluded the run of Field. Argyle came back with successive crosses from the right flank, quickly followed by the introduction of Ben Waine and Mustapha Bundu for Hardie and Wright.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, Scarr found an inspired goal-saving clearance after the ball had deflected over Cooper.
Sadly for Argyle, the next attack ended in a goal.
Cooper produced a top save to thwart the initial header from Jimmy Dunne, but Dykes reacted well to the loose ball and Field emerged from the melee to force the ball over the line.
Pleguezuelo for Phillips was the final Argyle change, as the Greens responded to the setback with a Mumba cross aimed at Bundu, who headed over. Mumba was next to have a pop, lashing a rising drive that was turned over by Begovic.
After plenty of knocking, the door opened for Argyle with five minutes left on the clock. It was scruffy, ugly and so important. Adam Randell delivered the corner and the ball bounced into the net off substitute Adomah to level the scores.
Fittingly, the game ended with man-of-the-match Randell driving through midfield and winning a free-kick. It was a point shared but this sort of hometown commitment will be critical over the final four games.
Argyle: 1 Michael Cooper; 2 Bali Mumba, 4 Jordan Houghton (27 Adam Forshaw 59), 6 Dan Scarr, 8 Joe Edwards (capt) (29 Matthew Sorinola 59), 9 Ryan Hardie (23 Ben Waine 66), 10 Morgan Whittaker, 11 Callum Wright (15 Mustapha Bundu 66), 17 Lewis Gibson, 20 Adam Randell, 26 Ashley Phillips (5 Julio Pleguezuelo 75). Substitutes (not used): 21 Conor Hazard (gk), 14 Mickel Miller, 16 Alfie Devine, 22 Brendan Galloway.
Booked:
QPR: 1 Asmir Begovic (capt), 3 Jimmy Dunne, 5 Steve Cook, 8 Sam Field, 9 Lyndon Dykes, 10 Ilias Chair (37 Albert Adomah 77), 11 Paul Smyth, 14 Isaac Hayden, 15 Morgan Fox, 22 Kenneth Paal, 25 Lucas Andersen (7 Chris Willock 63). Substitutes (not used): 32 Joe Walsh (gk), 6 Jake Clarke-Salter, 16 Joe Hodge, 19 Elijah Dixon-Bonner, 20 Reggie Cannon, 21 Ziyad Larkeche, 30 Sinclair Armstrong.
Booked: Dykes 42
Referee: Jeremy Simpson
Attendance: 16,928 (1,727 away)
