Andre Gray rescues point for Plymouth Argyle against Watford

Plymouth Argyle came up with yet another last-gasp Home Park goal, this time from striker Andre Gray, as they twice fought back from behind to draw 2-2 with Watford.

The Championship match was into the sixth minute of added time, with the Pilgrims on the brink of just a second home defeat of the season, when Gray, playing against one of his former clubs, scored with a superb curling shot.

The ball flew into the net in front of the Devonport End, with Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann rooted to the spot, and the Green Army exploded into noise.

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No sooner had referee Andy Davies restarted the game than he blew for full-time and Argyle had clinched a point which had seemed beyond them for most of the match.

Watford striker Vakoun Bayo had opened the scoring early on but Gray equalised out of the blue with a tremendous first time volley in the 23rd minute.

The visitors restored their advantage late in the first half through defender Ryan Porteous and they rarely looked like losing it until Gray came up with his moment of magic for his third goal in five games for the Pilgrims.

Defender Lewis Gibson returned to action for Argyle against Watford after missing the previous four matches due to a thigh injury, and also captained the side as well.

There was one other change to the starting line-up from the 1-1 draw away to Derby County, which had been before the third international break of the season on November 9 as Gray made just his second start for Argyle.

Mustapha Bundu and Callum Wright dropped down to the bench while Ryan Hardie, who was a second half substitute against Derby was missing from the matchday squad due to a groin issue..

Gibson played as the left-sided central defender as Argyle lined up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Julio Pleguezuelo and Kornel Szucs alongside him.

Matty Sorinola and Bali Mumba were the wing-backs with Darko Gyabi and Adam Randell in central midfield. Morgan Whittaker was in the number 10 role behind the two strikers of Gray and Michael Obafemi.

There was a yellow card for Mumba within the first minute after a foul on Moussa Sissoko and the resulting free-kick into the Argyle box was put over his own crossbar by Gray.

Watford had all of the possession in the early stages of the game and it was no surprise when they took the lead in the eighth minute. Yasser Larouci put in a low cross from the left which Pleguezuelo could not cut out and Bayo bundled the ball into the net from a couple of yards out.

There was a brief moment of silence inside the stadium with both sets of supporters not quite realising the deadlock had been broken, before the Watford fans in the Barn Park End at the opposite end of the pitch started to celebrate.

Sorinola had one threatening cross into the Watford box which was headed behind for a corner by Mattie Pollock but, otherwise, it was the visitors who did all of the attacking.

Larouci beat the Argyle offside trap in the 17th minute and got to the by-line and cut the ball back to Kwadwo Baah, who could not make a clean contact with his shot and Mumba was eventually able to clear his lines.

Sorinola was caused all sorts of problems by Larouci with his trickery on the ball and clever movement as Watford pressed for a second goal.

However, completely against the run of play, Argyle equalised in the 23rd minute. Gibson hit a long diagonal cross into the penalty area and Gray met it on the volley as he scored with a perfectly-placed shot into the corner of the net

Argyle almost grabbed a second goal a short while later when the ball was played inside to Whittaker in his central position and he let fly from 25 yards with a strike which flew inches wide.

Obafemi also had a good chance when he spun on the edge of the penalty area and sent a low shot narrowly past the outside of Bachmann’s left post.

Watford almost regained the lead following a corner when the ball dropped to Porteous about six yards out but the defender could not hit the target from around six yards out.

Bayo then sent a right-foot shot flying wide from 20 yards as the visitors continued to provide a real attacking threat with some slick passing.

Their efforts were rewarded with a second goal in the 41st minute. Imran Louza played a free-kick from a central position to the right for Mattie Pollock, who put the ball across the face of goal and Porteous got there first before Sorinola to slot home from close range.

Argyle had penalty appeals soon afterwards when Obafemi battled to hold the ball up under a challenge from Larouci and went to the ground but Davies allowed play to continue. TV replays indicated that was the correct call.

Watford had been much the better side for most of the first half and were good value for their 2-1 lead while Argyle needed to regroup during the break.

Gyabi had an early second half shot from distance which flew over the bar but showed some attacking intent from the Pilgrims before Gibson sent a header too high after a long throw-in from Szucs.

Watford threatened next with a shot from Baah which was blocked behind for a corner by Gibson, who was booked soon afterwards for a blatant foul on Bayo as the striker looked to run in behind him.

Argyle clearly tried to play with more intensity after the interval and take the game to Watford after being on the back foot for so much of the first period.

However, the Hornets were still good going forward and Chakvetadze had a curling shot from around 25 yards pushed over the bar by Argyle ‘keeper Dan Grimshaw.

Gyabi became more influential for the Pilgrims in the second half as he regularly drove forward from midfield and he had a shot saved by Bachmann by the base of his left post.

Whittaker then left the pitch in the 68th minute with a toe injury which had been troubling him in the build-up to the match and was replaced by Wright in Argyle’s first substitution. Moments later, Gray could not quite get on the end of an inviting cross from Sorinola and the ball bounced out of play for a goal kick.

Mumba and Sorinola pushed high up the pitch for Argyle, leaving the back three very much on their own as Szucs, Pleguezuelo and Gibson spread out across the pitch.

Argyle were almost caught out when Sissoko powered his way past Szucs and played the ball in for Bayo, whose shot on goal forced an excellent save out of Grimshaw as he touched the ball wide.

That was followed by a double Argyle substitution in the 79th minute as Freddie Issaka and Bundu were sent on for Sorinola and Obafemi respectively.

Wright had a clear sight of goal for Argyle inside the Watford box but his low shot went wide, with the aid of a slight deflection for a corner,

Issaka was a straight swap at right wing-back for Sorinola and Bundu played up front alongside Gray but the Pilgrims still found it hard to create clear-cut chances. However, they did not give up and Gray came up with a wonderful curling shot with virtually the last kick of the match to earn the Pilgrims a point.

ARGYLE: Dan Grimshaw; Julio Pleguezuelo, Kornel Szucs, Lewis Gibson; Matty Sorinola (Freddie Issaka 79 mins), Adam Randell Darko Gyabi, Bali Mumba; Morgan Whittaker (Callum Wright 68 mins), Michael Obafemi (Mustapha Bundu 79 mins); Andre Gray.

Substitutes (not used): Marko Marosi, Nathanael Ogbeta, Jordan Houghton, Adam Forshaw, Rami Al Hajj, Victor Palsson.

WATFORD: Daniel Bachmann; Ryan Porteous, Mattie Pollock, James Morris (Franciso Sierralta 90 +4 mins); Ryan Andrews, Moussa Sissoko, Imran Louza, Yasser Larouci (Ken Sema 85 mins); Kwadwo Baah (Tom Ince 90 +4 mins), Giorgi Chakvetadze (Edo Kayembe 74 mins); Vakoun Bayo.

Substitutes (not used): Jonathan Bond, Rocco Vata, Antonio Tikvic, Mamadou Doumbia, Leo Ramirez-Espain.

REFEREE: Andy Davies

ATTENDANCE: 16,400

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