Argyle made to settle for point after dominance fades against Mansfield

Plymouth Argyle were left to rue another missed opportunity as their 1–1 draw with Mansfield Town followed a familiar and increasingly frustrating pattern.

For the third consecutive match, Argyle produced an excellent first half and took the lead, this time through Bim Pepple. As in recent narrow victories over Peterborough United and Luton Town, they dominated without extending their advantage. Unlike those games, however, they were punished, Ryan Sweeney’s equaliser ensuring Mansfield went in level at the break. A visibly tiring Argyle side were unable to regain their earlier intensity in the second half, and the contest drifted to a stalemate.

There were mixed fortunes on the injury front following Saturday’s win over Luton. Joe Ralls missed out after being forced off early against the Hatters, while Lorent Tolaj, who struggled to see out that match, was also absent. Goalkeeper Conor Hazard failed to recover in time. On the positive side, Brendan Wiredu returned after shaking off his knock, Owen Oseni was fit enough for the bench, and summer signing Jack MacKenzie made his first matchday squad appearance.

Those changes saw Luca Ashby-Hammond start in goal behind an unchanged back four of Joe Edwards, Mathias Ross, Alex Mitchell and Brendan Galloway. Wiredu partnered Malachi Boateng in midfield, with Matty Sorinola and Ronan Curtis wide. Watts operated just off Pepple in attack.

Pepple wasted little time asserting himself. Five minutes in, his early effort deflected up and landed on the roof of the net, setting the tone for a lively opening spell in which the Canadian forward was central to everything Argyle did well.

The breakthrough arrived on 20 minutes. Wiredu read the play superbly to intercept and release Pepple, whose direct run towards the box was aided by Watts dragging defenders away. Pepple struck from distance, the ball bouncing once before beating Liam Roberts in the Mansfield goal.

Argyle pressed hard for a second and were at their most fluent in the 15 minutes that followed. Curtis was sent down the right by Wiredu and crossed for Pepple, whose effort after one bounce was superbly saved by Roberts. The Mansfield goalkeeper then surpassed himself on 32 minutes, repelling Watts’ diving header from a Sorinola cross — a save so impressive it left Watts laughing in disbelief on the turf.

Further chances followed. Curtis raced on to a clever Boateng pass but dragged his shot wide after struggling to control the bounce. Up to that point, Mansfield had offered little, but a sudden shift in momentum was coming.

Wiredu’s misplaced pass gifted Oliver Irow a sight of goal, forcing Ashby-Hammond into his first meaningful save. Mansfield sensed an opening and, after sustained pressure following a free-kick, Regan Hendry was given time on the right to cross. The ball struck Sweeney and looped into the net to level the scores.

Despite Argyle’s dominance and Roberts’ heroics, it was 1–1 at half-time.

Mansfield manager Nigel Clough responded with two changes at the interval, withdrawing Aaron Lewis and Luke Bolton for Jon Russell and Elliott Hewitt, a clear acknowledgement of his side’s struggles. Six minutes later, Lucas Akins departed injured, replaced by Victor Adeboyejo.

Argyle survived a scare when Frazer Blake-Tracy’s deflected effort drifted narrowly wide, before reasserting control. Curtis’ corners caused problems, one eventually ending up against the crossbar after a touch from Roberts, only for the referee to penalise Argyle for a foul — a decision met with frustration from the home support.

Just past the hour, Sorinola was booked and soon replaced by Xavier Amaechi, with Curtis switching flanks. Curtis then tested Roberts with a low free-kick, seemingly hoping for a rebound, but Mansfield dealt with the danger.

Oseni replaced Watts with 17 minutes remaining as Argyle pushed for a winner, yet Mansfield remained resolute. Late drama nearly arrived in the final minute when Amaechi’s free-kick caused chaos in the six-yard box before Mansfield broke. Ashby-Hammond’s hurried clearance struck Amaechi, but Argyle scrambled clear.

In a brief spell of stoppage time, Wiredu fired a final effort on target, comfortably gathered by Roberts — Mansfield’s standout performer — to bring an end to a match that Argyle had controlled for long spells, but ultimately failed to finish.