Holgate’s own-goal is enough for Argyle

RYAN Lowe was delighted with his Plymouth side as they jumped to ninth in the table after a hard-fought home win over Fleetwood.

“That’s eight unbeaten in the league and we’d like to go more unbeaten and see where it takes us,” said Lowe.

“I thought we played some fantastic stuff. We were well in control of the game from start to finish.

“We created a lot of chances but just didn’t put the ones in I would have liked to have gone in. On another day you score three or four.”

Argyle took an 11th-minute lead when Fleetwood defender Harrison Holgate turned Byron Moore’s cross from the right in at the far post.

Holgate would have been aware Argyle striker Niall Ennis was running in right behind him.

Two minutes later Michael Cooper denied Fleetwood forward Kyle Vassell with a neat stop.

The rejuvenated Greens could have gone further ahead in the first half but Alex Cairns saved well from Argyle’s 18-goal top-scorer Luke Jephcott.

Fleetwood’s Dan Batty came closest to levelling in the first half with a speculative effort from range that curled just over the top corner.

Kell Watts tried his luck at the start of the second half with a 20-yard effort that flew just over.

Argyle playmaker Danny Mayor, showing his pace and trickery, and Conor Grant teed up fellow midfielder Panutche Camara, who side-footed wide from 10 yards.

Sub Ryan Hardie had a late effort which beat keeper Cairns but it was cleared off the line by Ryan Rydel.

Fleetwood boss Simon Grayson said: “There are fine margins in any football match and we saw that immensely in terms of we go down one end and they get a really good clearance that goes straight at the goalkeeper.

“Then they go down the other end and put the ball in the box and it defects off Harrison Holgate and it is an own-goal.

“Those are the fine margins from being in front at one end to going a goal down.

“After that we competed well, we moved the ball around and the hardest part is scoring a goal.

“We just didn’t have the composure or the guile to go and break them down.”