Niall Ennis goal proves enough to seal promotion for Plymouth

Posted Sunday, April 30, 2023 by PA

Steven Schumacher’s Plymouth clinched promotion to the Championship with a 1-0 home win over Burton.

Once again Niall Ennis made the decisive breakthrough just before the interview with a superb piece of individual skill to finish off a superb passing move started by Callum Wright.

Playmaker Danny Mayor threaded the ball to Ennis, who beat central defender Sam Hughes before curling the ball past defender Jasper Moon and goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray and into the net.

It was no more than Argyle deserved for a dominant first-half display, in which Mayor twice had efforts cleared off the goal-line.

His 25th-minute deflected looping shot was headed off the line by Moon and then visiting skipper John Brayford did the same with Mayor’s goalbound effort eight minutes later.

Macaulay Gillesphey’s 43rd-minute header crashed off the bar from a Matt Butcher corner, before Ennis finally broke the deadlock.

Callum Wright had a 76th-minute goalbound shot blocked after being teed up by substitute Ryan Hardie and fired wide when the ball rebounded to him.

Burton’s Mark Helm cleared an 86th-minute Dan Scarr header off the line as Argyle pressed for a second goal – but one proved enough.