Report | Argyle 3-3 Preston North End

An incredible recovery from Argyle from three-nil down saw Wayne Rooney’s side pick up a point against Preston North End at Home Park.

Goals from Sam Greenwood, Mads Frokjaer-Jensen and Brad Potts placed the visitors in the driving seat before the 50th-minute mark, but perseverance and determination from the Greens saw them end with a 3-3 draw.

Morgan Whittaker’s heroics against Blackburn were seen again, as his goal in the 92nd minute secured the point at home. Freddie Issaka and Andre Gray each scored their first goal in green, which started off the comeback at the Theatre of Greens.

Rooney made five changes to his Argyle side following the midweek loss to Millwall at The Den. Issaka made his first league start for Argyle on the left, with Adam Forshaw and Rami Al Hajj also coming into the midfield. Adam Randell was the final central midfielder, Whittaker held his spot on the right and Michael Obafemi led the line for the Greens, replacing Ryan Hardie.

One change came in defence, as Victor Palsson partnered Kornel Szucs in the middle, with Joe Edwards and Bali Mumba on either side of the pairing in front of Daniel Grimshaw.

A fast-paced start to the game ensued after kick-off, with both sides pushing forward and looking to test the awareness of each other’s defensive line. Argyle broke through on several occasions, down both wings, but could not test Freddie Woodman in the Preston goal after positive play.

North End’s Sam Greenwood had Argyle players and fans worried when he beat Palsson for pace to the ball, but Grimshaw was able to close the angle and save with his legs before the Pilgrims cleared the ball away.

Quick passing and a confident driving run from Mumba presented the Greens with multiple crossing opportunities from the left wing and led to a corner being won. The ball was swung in from Randell onto the head of Woodman, forcing the Preston keeper into a tough punching clearance just after the 10-minute mark.

A few minutes later the visiting fans cheered when Greenwood put Preston ahead. An attacking run and shot at goal from former Pilgrim Kaine Kesler-Hayden was saved by Grimshaw, but the ricochet fell directly to the forward’s feet inside the area. Preston’s number 20 fired an effort at goal which bounced off Szucs and snuck its way into the back of Argyle’s net, giving the visitors a one-goal lead in the 16th minute.

After winning the ball from Randell in the middle of the pitch, Greenwood found himself with more room to get another shot away. This time, the forward’s effort bounced wide of Grimshaw’s right post and out for an Argyle goal kick.

Despite having an opportunity to test Preston from a set-piece outside the box, Argyle’s next key moment was a scrambling defensive effort from a quick counter attack. Emil Riis Jakobsen was slipped in, only to watch his effort fly over the bar.

Preston were forced into a change on the half-hour mark, with Brad Potts replacing an injured and hobbling Robbie Brady, following a collision in the middle of the park.

A ball over the Argyle defence found a charging Jakobsen in a one-on-one scenario against Palsson inside the Greens’ area. The Danish forward turned the Icelandic defender inside and out before shooting towards goal, which Grimshaw saved and deflected away to safety.

Argyle were soon presented with a chance to draw level when a high press from Szucs gifted Obafemi room to run at Preston’s goal. The forward’s heavy first touch handed Liam Lindsay enough time to recover and put in a sliding tackle which ended the Greens’ attack.

In the final minute of the half, hesitant play from Randell resulted in the visiting side winning the ball and rushing towards the Babcock Devonport End. Mads Frokjaer-Jensen ran onto the through ball from Jakobsen and finished across Grimshaw’s goal, doubling Preston’s lead.

A fast start was needed from Rooney’s side, but after having a chance to test Woodman, Argyle found themselves backtracking and trying to recover to halt a quick Preston attack. Substitute Potts galloped onto the pass from Kesler-Hayden, lifted the ball over an onrushing Grimshaw and reared off in celebration in front of the visiting fans, as Preston’s lead extended to three.

Argyle’s captain Edwards was leading the defensive recovery and injured himself in the process, forcing the Argyle management team into an early change, with Julio Pleguezuelo coming on in his place.

On his first league start for the Greens, Issaka found himself in the right place at the right time. A free-kick on the edge of the area was fired towards goal by Randell, with the follow-up slotted home by the 18-year-old, reducing the deficit to two goals and sending Home Park into its usual loud self.

Just before the hour mark, Rooney turned to his bench to try and inject much-needed energy into his side and continue the push following Issaka’s goal. Gray, making his home debut, and Darko Gyabi replaced Adam Forshaw and Rami Al Hajj.

Duane Holmes entered the field of play and could have been on the scoresheet within seconds. Jakobsen broke through the Argyle line and fired wide of the goal, but if he’d looked up, the attacking midfielder for Preston was arriving unmarked into the area and could have easily been played in.

Ryan Hardie and Mustapha Bundu came on in the 72nd minute, replacing Michael Obafemi and Freddie Issaka, but Preston continued to cause problems in Argyle’s final third. A spell of attacks was headlined by a fast and precise ball across the box from Holmes, which required a sliding block from Pleguezuelo.

Despite the mounting pressure on the defensive end, Argyle clawed another goal back, this time through Gray finding the back of the net with a free header at the back post. Controlled running from Mumba and a whipped cross into the box found the Jamaican international, who headed home and narrowed Preston’s lead to just one in the 82nd minute.

As the fourth official waved the board showing six minutes of additional time, Argyle’s long-throw-in expert Szucs launched a ball towards the Preston six-yard box. The visitors initially headed away but as the ball was recycled, Gyabi wheeled to the back post and nearly headed home.

Whittaker, the hero of Argyle's last home match, soon sent Home Park into a frenzy. Randell whipped in a cross towards the back post, emulating Mumba’s from minutes prior, with Bundu picking up the ball. The winger placed the ball gently to Whittaker’s feet, before Argyle’s number 10 fired the ball low into Preston’s goal, bringing the game level in additional time.

With the crowd behind them, the Pilgrims continued forward in numbers and nearly had a winner, or at least some of the Green Army thought. Gray picked up the ball at the back post and sent a half-volley towards Woodman, which required an acrobatic save from the visiting keeper.

Argyle continued to look for a winner, but defensive work was needed to stop a progressing Greenwood and claim an important point at home after being three goals down.

Argyle: 31 Dan Grimshaw, 2 Bali Mumba, 6 Kornel Szucs, 8 Joe Edwards (capt) (50, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo), 10 Morgan Whittaker, 14 Michael Obafemi (72, 9 Ryan Hardie), 20 Adam Randell, 27 Adam Forshaw (58, 19 Andre Gray), 28 Rami Al Hajj (58, 18 Darko Gyabi), 35 Freddie Issaka (72, 15 Mustapha Bundu), 44 Victor Palsson. Substitutes: 25 Marko Marosi (gk), 3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 4 Jordan Houghton, 11 Callum Wright.

Goals: Issaka 58, Gray 82, Whittaker 90+2

Preston: 1 Freddie Woodman, 4 Ben Whiteman (capt), 6 Liam Lindsay, 8 Ali McCann, 9 Emil Riis Jakobsen, 10 Mads Frokjaer-Jensen (63, 25 Duane Holmes), 11 Robbie Brady (30, 44 Brad Potts), 14 Jordan Storey, 16 Andrew Hughes, 20 Sam Greenwood, 29 Kaine Kesler-Hayden (72, 22 Stefan Thordarson). Substitutes: 13 David Cornell (gk), 5 Jack Whatmough, 17 Layton Stewart, 18 Ryan Ledson, 23 Jeppe Okkels, 33 Kian Best.

Goals: Greenwood 16, Frokjaer-Jensen 45+3, Potts 48

Booked: Kesler-Hayden 41, Greenwood 46, Ledson 60

Referee: Andy Davies

Attendance: 16,443