Argyle were defeated 2-0 against Mansfield Town at One Call Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Will Evans’ early goal made it an uphill battle for the Greens, before Jordan Bowery came off the bench to seal the result in the final ten minutes. 

Tom Cleverley opted to make six changes to the starting line-up from last Thursday’s Devon Derby defeat against Exeter City.

In the backline, Alex Mitchell and Joe Edwards were replaced by Kornel Szucs and Brendan Galloway. Matty Sorinola was suspended and therefore absent; Owen Dale came in to take his place on the left flank.

Caleb Roberts made his first league start of the season in central-midfield after Bradley Ibrahim was deemed not fit enough to be involved. 

Owen Oseni and Bali Mumba were preferred to play in advanced roles; Jamie Paterson and Bim Pepple dropped to the bench.

With all this considered, it meant that it was Conor Hazard in goal, with a back three of Brendan Wiredu, Mathias Ross, and Galloway ahead of him.

Szucs and Mumba operated as wing-backs, with Malachi Boateng and Roberts playing as the deepest midfielders. 

Dale and Oseni played creative roles in support of lone-striker Lorent Tolaj who was making his ninth consecutive start since his arrival.

Just six minutes into the first-half Mansfield took the lead, Evans notching his second in as many games.

Both Galloway and Wiredu were unable to clear Rhys Oates’s flick-on, allowing dangerman Evans the opportunity to curl an effort into the bottom-left corner unopposed. 

Oseni came close for the Greens just before 20 minutes, after Szucs forced a turnover high up the pitch. The Hungarian slid the ball to Oseni on the edge of the area; he powered into the box and stung the gloves of Stags’ stopper Liam Roberts. 

The game flowed in a similar pattern for large parts of the first period, Argyle pressing high up the pitch, Mansfield looking for a long-ball in behind the Pilgrims’ back three.

Dale had a sighter after great hold-up play from Tolaj, Argyle’s number nine muscled off Adedeji Oshilaja to tee up the makeshift wing-back. His volleyed effort gave Roberts food for thought as it flashed narrowly wide of his near post. 

The hosts had the better of the play as the half drew towards its conclusion, Tyler Roberts, Oates and Evans all looking dangerous without really threatening Hazard’s goal.

Tolaj had a chance from a free-kick, curling narrowly wide, before Mansfield countered and came close to doubling their lead when Roberts headed off target from within 10-yards of the goal line.

It could have been another early goal for Mansfield, this time at the beginning of the second-half. Oshilaja played a long ball over the top of the Greens’ defence that set Oates through one-on-one with Hazard.

The Argyle keeper did well to deny the forward by making himself big, but fortunately for the Stags, the ball fell back to Oates. With the goal at his mercy, he could only put his effort into the side netting, much to the relief of Cleverley’s side.

Another chance went begging for Mansfield; Nathan Moriah-Welsh’s excellent delivery was just ahead of both Oates and Evans, both of whom would have had a tap-in had they met it.

In response to the early Stags’ pressure, Cleverley turned to his bench, bringing on Paterson for Wiredu in an attacking change.

There was an immediate reaction; Dale’s corner was skewed wide by Ross, but into the path of Tolaj, who just cleared the crossbar with his header from within the six-yard box.

Nigel Clough’s side had yet another big chance they would have expected to convert, this time Moriah-Welsh found himself on the end of an Evans cross, the headed effort not on target.

More Argyle substitutions followed in an attempt to find a way back into the game; Tegan Finn and Law McCabe took the places of Oseni and Boateng.

The Pilgrim’s resurgence continued, Dale looked lively on the left wing when he skipped past Kyle Knoyle before shooting through the legs of Oshilaja, calling Roberts into action.

The Greens’ biggest chance of the game fell to Finn just after 75 minutes. Paterson picked the pocket of Oshilaja, who was attempting to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick. On the byline, he cut the ball back to his fellow substitute Finn on the edge of the six-yard box; his effort was well saved by the outstretched leg of Roberts.

Mansfield then made Argyle pay; Stags’ replacement Bowery sealed the result with less than ten minutes left on the clock. 

Joseph Gardner advanced up the left flank and crossed well to Moriah-Welsh, who had found space inside the box. The winger’s scuffed shot inadvertently set up Bowery just yards out; it was straightforward for the striker to slide the ball into a vacant net.

With the hosts now leading by two, Cleverley made one final change in an attempt to rescue at least a point on the road, Pepple for Szucs.

His side were unable to find a way back into the game, despite late chances for Tolaj and Pepple, meaning it was three consecutive league defeats for the Pilgrims.

It is Emirates FA Cup action for Argyle this coming weekend, the Greens’ travel to Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday afternoon in the first round.

Mansfield: 1 Liam Roberts, 2 Kyle Knoyle, 3 Stephen McLaughlin (14 Dominic Dwyer, 90+2), 8 Aaron Lewis, 11 Will Evans (28 Joseph Gardner, 79),15 Jamie McDonnell, 18 Rhys Oates (9 Jordan Bowery, 79), 20 Frazer Blake-Tracy, 22 Nathan Moriah-Welsh (17 Max Dickov, 90+2), 23 Adedeji Oshilaja, 29 Tyler Roberts (24 Regan Hendry, 70). Substitutes: 12 Owen Mason (gk), 5 Ryan Sweeney.

Goals: Evans 6, Bowery 84

Booked: McDonnell 73

Argyle: 1 Conor Hazard, 2 Mathias Ross, 4 Brendan Wiredu (7 Jamie Paterson,58), 6 Kornel Szucs (27 Bim Pepple, 85), 9 Lorent Tolaj, 11 Bali Mumba, 18 Owen Oseni (39 Tegan Finn, 68), 19 Malachi Boateng (20 Law McCabe, 68), 22 Brendan Galloway, 24 Caleb Roberts, 35 Owen Dale. Substitutes: 21 Luca Ashby-Hammond (gk), 41 Seb Campbell. 

Booked: Dale 23, Roberts 87

Referee: Matthew Russell

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