Thomas Westcott Devon Midweek Cup Final

University of Plymouth   0 - 8   Plymouth Argyle FITC

Played at Coach Road, Newton Abbot 27/03/19

Plymouth Argyle FITC took this game by the scruff of the neck and, courtesy of a hat-trick in the first 15 minutes by Jack Dixon, were able to coast to a comfortable victory this year, having been runners up in last year’s final. Such was their dominance in the first half University were unable to pose any threat on the Argyle goal.

As early as the third minute Argyle’s Bailey Yeo found himself through on goal but screwed his left foot shot just wide. In the 7^th minute Argyle’s Jack Dixon gave his team the lead, pouncing onto a defensive mix-up between the University keeper, Rory Thompson, and his defence to roll the ball into an empty net. Two minutes later Jack Rhead hit a fierce shot just wide of Thompson’s near post.

Five minutes later Argyle were three up with Dixon completing his hat trick, firstly firing home from the edge of the box in the 11^th minute and then, on 14 minutes providing the finishing touch to an excellent series of passes between Ben Williams and Jack Rhead, who rolled the ball into Dixon’s path for a cool finish.

There was no coming back from that and by half time the Argyle FITC found themselves seven goals up with no sign of a response from the University team who were simply overrun in midfield, Bailey Gamble having the freedom of the park to spray passes left and right at will.

In the 31^st minute Callum Holder made it 4 – 0 heading home at the near post from a corner. Five minutes later it was five as Ben Williams raced onto a through ball from Gamble and rifled it past Thompson from the edge of the box.

With six minutes to go to half time Jack Rhead pounced on yet another error in the Uni defence to steer the ball into the corner, taking the score to six. That was followed in the 42^nd minute by Bailey Yeo making up for his earlier miss by curling a left foot volley past Thompson to bring the half time score to University nil, Argyle FITC seven.

The second half started with University on the attack winning two corners in quick succession, both of which came to naught. With five minutes of the half gone it was business as usual for Argyle as Jack Rhead raced through the heart of the University defence to smash a fierce left foot shot past Thompson to bring the score to eight nil.

There then followed a raft of substitutions that seemed to disrupt the flow of the game and on 56 minutes, Sam Pryor, who had just come on to field, missed a good opportunity to give his team a consolation goal, screwing his shot wide when well placed.

That spurred Argyle back into life and for the last half hour it seemed that all that stood between them and a double figure score was Thompson who performed miracles to keep out a 20-yard piledriver from Rhead and a fierce shot from Kieron McDonald, one of the Argyle substitutes.  

Man of the Match - Bailey Gamble (Plymouth Argyle FITC).

The next final at Coach Road will be the Graddon Vending Women’s Supplementary Cup final between Buckland Athletic Ladies 2nds and Axminster Town Ladies on Friday 29^th March, kick off 7.15 pm.