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Season 2009-10
Plymouth Argyle (h) Championship


In association with NUFC.com

Date: Saturday 19th September 2009, 3pm.

Venue:
 St.James' Park

Conditions: 
slightly overcast, dry



 

Newcastle United

Plymouth Argyle

3 - 1

Teams

Goals

6 mins Geremi's corner kick from the Leazes/Milburn side dropped nicely to the back post when an unmarked Steven Taylor stooped to head home easily 1-0

Half time: Magpies 1 Pilgrims 0

50 mins
Enrique found himself back-tracking and outnumbered after a speedy counter from Plymouth down their right flank. On-loan Celtic youngster Cillian Sherdian sent over a low cross that was steered home from seven yards out by Duguid, who got to the ball ahead of Geremi.1-1

61 mins
Alan Smith's deep centre from the United right was nodded on by Carroll to the lurking Danny Guthrie on the left hand side of the Argyle box. The recently-arrived substitute chested the ball down and checked back before delivering a right-footed chip towards the back post, to where Kevin Nolan headed into the net from almost on the goal line 2-1

84 mins
Route one from Harper, whose punt upfield was missed by two defenders under pressure from Carroll. The ball dropped towards Nile Ranger on the edge of the Plymouth area and another defender made contact to deny him, but could only loop a header into the path of Andy Carroll. The striker
chested the ball down and drove home a fierce shot from the edge of the area to wrap up the victory  3-1

Full time: Magpies 3 Pilgrims 1

We Said

Interim United Manager Chris Hughton:

“It was a good win, but we made hard work of it. We started well, and got the goal, but the longer it went without us getting the second goal, it gave them the confidence to get back into it. It was a blow when they got the equaliser. Fortunately, we were able to finish strongly, and the second goal sealed it for us.

"I think it's fair to say Danny
(Guthrie) and Nile (Ranger) changed the game. Thankfully, they did make a major impact. We needed that Kevin Nolan goal and it encouraged the lads. There were periods of the game where we made hard work of it. I'm disappointed because we started really well. 

"He has done ever so well, big Andy Carroll. He was out for a period of time and had only had two days’ training with the team before the Blackpool game. He got stronger and better as the game went on and as well as scoring a goal, he could have perhaps added another one to it.

"There were periods of the game where we made hard work of it. For whatever reason, we weren’t able to sustain it and of course the longer the game goes without getting that second one, they are lifted by the occasion and feel they can get something.

"You never want any players happy with being left out of the starting line up. What we’re always going to have, with the amount of games we have, is players able to make an impact from the starting line up, or the bench.

"One thing we’ll always have is, whichever player is left out of the side, is that same player being in the side, at some stage. When you have a squad, you’ve got to be able to work that squad, and we were grateful that the two lads that didn’t start were able to make good contributions in that final period.

"We’re all delighted for Andy Carroll. It’s a wonderful time when you have your first child, and I think it even gives you a little bit of a lift out there. The adrenalin’s still flowing, and what he is, is a young and very confident lad.

"I think he deserves special praise for the work he’s done in his rehabilitation. In effect, he started the game at Blackpool with a couple of days’ training. He showed enough in those two days to warrant a start, and I thought he got stronger in the game as it went on.

"Nile is a young lad, and we’ve got to work him as well as we can. He’s come up against some Championship -hardened centre-halves, and he hasn’t had it all his own way. He’ll be looking for the day when he gets that goal, but he’s a very valuable squad member at the moment, and he certainly gives us options. 

"The options you have on the bench, in some games, will be as important as the lads that are playing."

They said


Pilgrims boss Paul Sturrock (assisted by ex-Mag John Blackley) contemplated Arygle's worst start to a season since 1967 and said:

"I have had two draws and six defeats and I am human. At the end of the day, there’s only so far a board can wait for me to turn it around. But they have been very committed to the cause. They see there is light at the end of the tunnel, but we have got to turn it soon.

"Pressure? I have had 35 years in the game and at the end of the day, I am like anybody else. But I want the right thing for Plymouth Argyle and we are attempting to do the right thing. I am very, very confident that these players will turn it around.”

Stats


Despite Plymouth becoming the first side to score at SJP in a league game this season, Newcastle returned to winning ways with their home fifth victory of the season in all competitions, equaling last season's total.


Steven Taylor
became the eighth Newcastle goalscorer in the league this season - joining Damien Duff, Shola Ameobi, Kevin Nolan, Ryan Taylor, Danny Guthrie, Fabricio Coloccini and Andy Carroll.

That total in the whole of last season was twelve - Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins, Shola Ameobi, Steven Taylor, Andy Carroll, Damien Duff, Peter Lovenkrands, Danny Guthrie, Charles N'Zogbia, Joey Barton, David Edgar and Xisco.


Andy Carroll's
fifth senior goal for the club was the first one to coincide with a United win.

Pilgrims in Toon - all-time:

2009/10 won 3-1 S.Taylor, Nolan, Carroll
1991/92 drew 2-2 Carr, Quinn
1990/91 won 2-0 Kristensen, Quinn
1989/90 won 3-1 McGhee 2, Quinn
1964/65 won 2-1 Thomas, Taylor
1963/64 drew 1-1 Thomas
1962/63 won 3-1 Kerray 2, Fell
1961/62 lost 0-2
1947/48 won 6-1 Shackleton 2, Bentley, Pearson, Walker, Wayman
1946/47 won 3-2 Bentley 3
1938/39 won 2-1 Birkett, Clifton
1937/38 won 3-1 Mooney, Smith, Imrie
1936/37 drew 1-1 Smith
1935/36 won 5-0 Weaver 2, Smith 2, Ware
1934/35 won 3-0 McMenemy, Pearson, Smith
1904/05 drew 1-1 (FA Cup) Gosnell
1904/05 won 2-0 (FA Cup) Orr 2


Full record v Argyle:
  P W D L F A
SJP 15 11 3 1 39 15
HP 14 6 3 5 17 17
League 29 17 6 6 56 32
SJP(FA) 2 1 1 0 3 1
HP 3 2 1 0 8 2
SJP(LC) 0 0 0 0 0 0
HP 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cup 5 3 2 0 11 3
Tot 34 20 8 6 67 35

Waffle


 

 

Following their midweek mishap at Blackpool, Newcastle bounced back as expected to maintain their 100% home record this season, against the Championship's bottom-placed side. 

After an early breakthrough against the Pilgrims however, Chris Hughton's side lost their forward momentum and were duly punished when the visitors levelled just after the break.

Reacting to their first defeat of the season in midweek, Chris Hughton added Peter Lovenkrands and Geremi to his starting XI, pushing Kevin Nolan up in attack alongside Andy Carroll and reintroducing Alan Smith to the midfield at the expense of Nicky Butt. New loan signing Zurab Khizanishvili was named among the substitutes.

Things began well for the Magpies, with Steven Taylor exploiting some non-existent marking, which may be partially explained by a rejigged Argyle defence featuring a pair of inexperienced loan acquisitions. At that point it looked as if a cricket score was on the cards - appropriate with the victorious Durham side and various Australian players watching on, the latter in the area for Sunday's one day international.

Gradually though the visitors regrouped and made some forward forays, aided by an unimaginative home display that frustrated fans. Two Lovenkrands effort aside, there was little to trouble the visitors up front and they almost levelled in bizarre circumstances when Jose Enrique's rick allowed an Argyle player to centre, only for Steven Taylor to miscue a clearance that bounced to safety - via Steve Harper's face.

By then Newcastle had been forced into a change when defender Danny Simpson limped off, Ryan Taylor slotting in at right back. And the substitute almost extended our lead just before the break, seeing his shot blocked at point blank range after a neat dink forward from Joey Barton.

Argyle duly levelled after the restart, with Harper then doing well to tip over a looping 20 yard effort from Sawyer as the visiting Green Army found their voice. That prompted Hughton into a double swap, freshening up his ailing side and bringing some much- needed pace and creativity to pressurise Plymouth.

Nile Ranger arrived to partner Carroll and Lovenkrands made way for Danny Guthrie, as Barton sloped off and Nolan dropped back into a more conventional midfield role. Within moments of moving out of the strike force though, the former Bolton man had his second league goal of the season and normal service was resumed.

And when Duguid dragged a half-chance wide shortly after, Plymouth's chances of rescuing a point began to dwindle, aided by a late burst of energy from Andy Carroll, who in tandem with Ranger began to pull the Argyle rearguard apart and grabbed a fine third to leave Paul Sturrock fearing the worst.

And the striker almost made it three goals in two games with a great piece of individual skill, flicking the ball up and cracking in a memorable volleyed effort that cannoned off the crossbar (strangely, the BBC highlights managed to edit the action to show this as happening when the score was 2-1).

Another decent attendance at SJP applauded the side from the field - although for long periods of the afternoon the atmosphere had been decidedly lukewarm - and the three points raised us up one place into second behind leaders West Brom, who rattled five past the smoggies without reply at the Riverside.

As Hughton commented though, before the substitutions things looked a tad less comfortable at 1-1, with a lack of creativity and pace starting to give the visitors something of an easy ride at the back. Some onfield spats with his colleagues betrayed an annoyance with the input of Lovenkrands, who lacks match fitness. 

And once again the performance of Barton left something to be desired, with a pedestrian-looking midfield hardly helped by the presence of Geremi (or Butt, had he appeared). Quite simply, we weren't getting enough balls or bodies into the box to play the percentage game and pressurise the opposition into errors.

In the event, the appearance of Guthrie and Ranger coincided with an upsurge in tempo and quality - the former unable to make it three goals in as many home games, but supplying another vital assist after his centre from the opposite flank for Carroll's goal at Blackpool. 

Another injury keeps our squad under further scrutiny, with further loan movement expected soon and the likelihood that we'll field an inexperienced XI in the Carling Cup, ahead of the trip to a still winless Ipswich. But the extension of the home record and a resumption in our point collecting form will do for now, as the team, supporters and club start to rehabilitate themselves after last season's trauma. One piece at a time.

Biffa 

Reports

Page last updated 19 February, 2017