PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 3 CITY 2
League Division 1
16th January 1988
Attendance 13,291
Scorers
City Stewart(13), McNab(30)
Plymouth Tynan(64), Smith(65), Evans(85)
Ref K Cooper
City Nixon, Gidman, Hinchcliffe, Clements, Brightwell, Redmond, White, Stewart, Adcock, McNab, Lake – subs Varadi(72), Simpson(86)
Plymouth Cherry, Brimacombe, L Cooper, Burrows, Marker, Smith, Hodges, Matthews, Tynan, S Cooper, Anderson – subs Summerfield(45), Evans(45)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS FOOTBALL PINK FINAL
Manchester City carelessly squandered a two goal lead to a fighting Plymouth Argyle side at Home Park today.
Paul Stewart had given the Blues a 13th minute lead which Neil McNab increased after half an hour.
But at half-time a change of tactics by Argyle saw them striking back to score twice in a minute through Tommy Tynan and Mark Smith, leaving the Blues eight match unbeaten run hanging by a thread.
.. Gidman drove a free-kick at the defensive wall and followed up a minute later with a cross into the hands of Cherry.
Gidman then crossed to the left to provide City with a platform from which they took the lead after 13 minutes.
Brimacombe was booked for a foul on Hinchcliffe. Gidman drove in the free kick finding the head of Stewart, who clinically despatched his 21st goal of the season…
… Two further blows stunned Plymouth. Steve Cooper was booked for a centre line challenge that flattened Hinchcliffe and then McNab steered the Blues further ahead when he drove in a splendid 20 yarder after the ball had been played in from the left by Brightwell on the half hour.
Half-time: Plymouth 0, Manchester City 2.
… Argyle had a Summerfield goal wiped out in the 62nd minute because Evans had fouled Clements, but three minutes later the home side found their persistence paying off when they did pull one back.
Evans played the ball in, and after a scramble Tynan forced the ball over the line.
Sixty seconds later City’s lead had disappeared altogether when, from a Matthews’ corner on the left, Smith rose majestically to head Argyle’s equaliser.
… The inevitable happened five minutes from the end when Cooper’s cross from the left was met at the far post by Evans.
It gave Argyle the lead their second half fight-back deserved, leaving City to lose their first away match in nine games.