Wycombe Wanderers play a certain style of football with the intention of frustrating the opponent and disrupting the flow. They succeeded in doing this at Home Park but Plymouth Argyle were still able to depart with the three points.
A stop-start game was decided by a Dan Scarr goal at the back post. Here are the talking points from the final game of 2022…
The Latest Plymouth Argyle Talking Points
Argyle’s Academy is Currently Thriving
When discussing the Plymouth Argyle academy graduates, it is normally goalkeeper Michael Cooper at the fore. He was as assured as ever in the win over Wycombe, but his teammate Adam Randell is on the tip of everyone’s tongues right now.
Young players tend to be a lot more willing to take risks and Randell is the perfect personification of this. In the middle of the park, he is happy to bring the ball down and take a man on as opposed to looking for a safe, sideways pass straight away.
💪 Tonight's player of the match as chosen by match sponsors Base Concepts / IRS is @adam_randell.
👏 Well played Rands!#pafc pic.twitter.com/ZQmm4cQMCq
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) December 29, 2022
Alongside goal scorer Dan Scarr, Randell was a standout performer in a difficult, physical clash with the Chairboys. The tenacity of the 22-year-old is a sight to behold, a manager can always rely on the academy products to deliver on the field.
Steven Schumacher has regularly heaped praise upon Randell whilst also keeping him grounded at the same time. Just a couple of months ago, the Plymouth Argyle boss said when speaking about his young midfielder, as quoted by the Plymouth Herald: “Everyone can see he is progressing, he’s doing really well and has become a really important player.”
Home Park Continues to be a Fortress for Plymouth Argyle
It is certainly low-hanging fruit, but at the same time, Argyle’s form on home soil can’t be overlooked. A fascinating stat that emerged after this victory over Gareth Ainsworth’s men is that the home tally of 33 points would have them ninth overall, just two points away from the play-off spots.
Embed from Getty Images
This 1-0 win was the 12th game of the season in front of the full Green Army. Only once have Schumacher’s side failed to win on this run, a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Port Vale, in which former Manchester United man James Wilson netted a brace.
Beyond that slip-up against a very savvy Vale outfit, there have been 11 wins. Argyle’s 22 goals in Devon is tied for third in the division whilst their eight goals against is tied for second. Interestingly enough, Peterborough United are ahead of them in both metrics yet currently sit seventh, on the precipice of the post-season.
Ryan Hardie is Constantly a Handful
One of several mainstays in this Plymouth Argyle side is Scotsman Ryan Hardie. He never stops running and is one of the most energetic players around. Hardie is very different to the other forwards on Argyle’s books – he is constantly on the move whereas Sam Cosgrove is a more calculated and reserved player for example.
Hardie is hugely effective even when he doesn’t find the back of the net, and that was evident against Wycombe. He had a number of chances and wasn’t particularly clinical – if he was then the Pilgrims could easily have scored four or five. Meanwhile, he stretched the opposing backline and created a major headache for them.
📺 From Rangers to Argyle, Ryan Hardie discusses his football career so far.#pafc
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) December 16, 2022
The 25-year-old from Stranraer is a fans’ favourite and currently leads the team on eight league goals, joint with Swansea City loanee Morgan Whittaker. When you have players such as Whittaker, Danny Mayor and the currently injured Finn Azaz providing for Hardie, it is a winning recipe more often than not.
It was another impressive win for Plymouth Argyle, one that keeps them at the top of the tree going into the new year. They may not have blown Wycombe out of the water and at times, the visitors came close to drawing level. Substitute Sam Vokes, the former Premier League talisman, was a handful. He was unable to strike though and so the Greens are another three points better off.
Wycombe player Tjay De Barr had a medical scare at the end of the game, but has since been discharged from hospital, his club have confirmed – great news!
