Leeds complete hat-trick over Argyle

Plymouth Argyle will be glad to see the back of Leeds United this season, with Saturday’s lunchtime fixture handing the Pilgrims a third loss in four meetings with the Yorkshiremen this term.

Argyle went down 2-1 at Elland Road earlier in the season but played very well to earn an FA Cup draw at Leeds in January. Unfortunately, the replay last week ended in an extra-time defeat and the latest edition, also at Home Park, was a 2-0 league loss.

Argyle toiled through the first period and trailed 1-0 to a goal from Wilfried Gnonto. After the break, the Greens were excellent and had Leeds penned in their own box for long periods, only to be hit by a decisive sucker-punch from Giorginio Rutter.

Argyle Head Coach Ian Foster told the club website: “It was a really good game; a really tense and tight game of football. I thought we started slowly, we potentially gave them a little bit more respect than we ought to have. We were quite passive at times, particularly out of possession, which gave them a foothold in the game.

“If they’ve carved you open and played round your press, then you can accept that, but it's just a loose pass, it's gone up in the air and we've not quite dealt with it.

“We're disappointed with the manner of the first goal, but it was the only shot on target in the first half, so we know that we've limited a really good team to very few chances.

“In the second half, I thought we were outstanding. From first to last whistle in the second half, we played how we wanted to play. We got up to Leeds, made it very difficult, showed a lot of control and patience in possession and created opportunities, which was really pleasing.”

Torquay United are in dire straits after slumping to a sixth straight defeat in the National League South at Braintree. The Gulls were toothless in Essex and the result was made even more depressing by the fact Braintree played the majority of the game with ten men.