It was a professional job by the Greens on Saturday, as Plymouth Argyle came out victorious against Fleetwood via a second half brace by Freddie Ladapo.
Matt Macey – 6
A relatively shaky start from the Arsenal youngster, with the Cod Army’s high pressure clearly unnerving him. A few close shaves nearly ended in disaster, however the youngster slowly managed to gain confidence as the game progressed by making some routine saves. Overall, it was not a bad game from Macey, but nothing to shout about after being left relatively unchallenged for the majority of the game.
Tafari Moore – 7
A productive afternoon for the former Gunner, which was a serious improvement on last Saturday’s outing at Kenilworth Road. The young right back linked well with Lameiras and interchanged multiple times in the final third. Moore was equally as strong in the defensive third, intervening in several of Fleetwood’s attacks. Tafari did especially well despite the lack of protection provided by Ruben Lamerias ahead of him.
Yann Songo’o – 8
Songo’o has really has impressed me this season. His passing ability has greatly improved whilst his positional sense is that of a very competent centre back. Yann remained calm despite frequent waves of attack whilst managing to cleanly swipe the ball from the oppositions attackers. In true Songo’o fashion he also offered a threat from set pieces with some powerful heading. All in all a good day at the office.
Niall Canavan – 8
The Irish central-defender is really beginning to prove himself as a pivotal man in Plymouth Argyle’s line-up and once again he was a crucial figure. Just like Songo’o Canavan put in a solid performance despite pressure from the Fleetwood forwards. The Irish centre half also managed to acquire an assist, flicking a header at the front post which hit Ladapo on its way in.
Ashley Smith-Brown – 8
What an improvement from the Mancunian. The former Citizen looked like a completely different player this afternoon, equally as good at defending as he was at attacking. Smith-Brown provided a fine assist for Ladapo’s first by curling the ball around Eastham after winning the ball back. He also managed to also keep Wes Burns quiet, a start player in League One this season. Best performance of the season this season and lets hope there will be more to come.
David Fox – 7
A job well done by Fox today, quietly going about his business but with a great effect. Something that always surprises me about Foxy is the amount of headers he wins in the middle third. We are very lucky to have a player like Foxy due to his vast range of passing as well as his class on the pitch. If Fox is calm, so is everyone else.
Antoni Sarcevic – 8
Run, run, run! The engine that this man has is unbelievable, he could have a career in long distance running the way he’s going. Sarcevic provided another stellar performance this afternoon against his former side, constantly bombarding the oppositions midfield and frequently gaining possession in dangerous areas. The man is a machine and shows great passion for the club.
Jamie Ness – 7
Despite the query of Ness’ fitness, he asserted himself in the Pilgrims starting XI and proved his worth during 92 minutes he endured. If it was picking up loose balls or interchanging with the left hand side, he created havoc for Joey Barton’s men, going close to scoring in the opening half. The only negative of his performance would be the accumulation of a yellow card that will mean he misses the midweek trip to Shrewsbury.
Ruben Lameiras – 6
A quieter game from Lameiras today but do not be deceived by his rating. He frequently left defenders in his dust whilst progressing up the pitch at a rapid pace. The draw back to Lameiras’ performance would be the amount of times he was disposed or lost the ball during his attempts at carving open a goal scoring opportunity. Not at his best today but he was clearly far from his worst and proved as an adequate replacement for the suspended Graham Carey.
Joel Grant – 8
The former Grecian has really started to prove his worth in the Argyle line-up. He made mazy runs and created chances against Fleetwood. He also provided great cover for his full back, Smith-Brown, by frequently coming deep to prevent the opposition from overlapping. Good day at the office from the Jamaican International today.
Freddie Ladapo – 9 MOTM
Man of the match for Ladapo today as he grabbed another brace. A relatively quiet first half but it was during the second when everything came to life for Argyle’s number 19. First, he superbly wriggled away from his marker before unleashing a thunderous effort against the right hand post. Then, after a curling through ball from Ash Smith-Brown, he then once again wriggled his way past his defender before slotting the ball towards the bottom left hand side of the goal. Finally, he made the last contact from a flicked header at goal to add his second.