Plymouth Slip To Narrow Burnley Loss
Plymouth Argyle slipped to a narrow defeat in the mid-week fixtures in the EFL Championship as Wayne Rooney’s side headed to Lancashire to face Burnley.
The Vertu Motors-backed side went into the game on the back of two wins from their previous three matches, with the other being a narrow loss against another top team in the shape of West Brom.
The game saw Rooney go head-to-head with former England team-mate Scott Parker, who had made his debut for the national team when he replaced Rooney as a substitute in a 3-2 loss to Denmark back in 2003.
Parker’s side should have grabbed the lead early on in the game when Luca Koleosho was picked out at the back post, but he could only put the ball over the bar and failed to trouble Dan Grimshaw in the Argyle goal.
Koleosho then set up Jaidon Anthony to test Grimshaw, before the Pilgrims had their first chance at the other end; Morgan Whittaker side-footing wide from outside the box when he picked up a loose ball.
Burnley were given the chance to hit the front shortly after the mid-way point of the first half, when Josh Cullen was felled in the box by Darko Gyabi and the referee pointed to the spot.
Josh Brownhill stepped up to send Dan Grimshaw the wrong way and score his fourth goal of the campaign, and Burnley almost then grabbed a second when Grimshaw rushed from his goal and was chipped by Lyle Foster – with the ball drifting harmlessly wide.
Burnley continued to create chances after the break with Grimshaw forced to save from Anthony before Plymouth fashioned an opportunity at the other end.
Smart build up play saw the ball come to Whittaker on the right hand side of the box and his curling effort beat James Trafford but also sailed over the bar.
Jeremy Sarmiento flashed an effort wide as Burnley chased a second to kill off the game, and there was still time for Plymouth to go close to an equaliser only by Mustapha Bundu to flash his shot wide after another well-worked move from the visitors.
Plymouth face Blackburn Rovers this weekend.