Plymouth stun Stoke thanks to Adam Randell late show

Posted Sunday, December 03, 2023 by PA

Plymouth’s homegrown midfielder Adam Randell scored a last-minute winner as Argyle came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Stoke at Home Park.

Randell hammered the ball home after Stoke cleared Luke Cundle’s attempt off the line in a goalmouth scramble caused by substitute Callum Wright’s cross from the left in the seventh minute of stoppage time.

Stoke had gone in front through Tyrese Campbell but Mustapha Bundu levelled just before half-time before Randell’s late show lifted Plymouth above Stoke up to 16th in the Championship table.

Argyle started well with midfielder Cundle forcing Stoke goalkeeper Jack Bonham into a second-minute stop.

Top scorer Morgan Whittaker then teed up fellow playmaker Finn Azaz on the edge of the penalty area but his shot flew just wide.

Stoke countered with Ciaran Clark’s header forcing Plymouth keeper Michael Cooper into action from Ki-Jana Hoever’s seventh-minute free-kick.

Hoever then crossed for Campbell to head just over as Stoke started to assert themselves.

Ryan Mmaee’s shot was deflected wide as he ran on to a through ball and let fly from the edge of the box on 17 minutes, and soon Stoke’s pressure told as they took the lead in the 23rd minute thanks to some poor Plymouth defending.

A loose back pass enabled the lively Campbell to beat central defender Lewis Gibson to the ball and he made no mistake, drawing out Cooper before side-footing past the keeper into the corner of the goal.

Bae Junho should have doubled Stoke’s lead in the next attack but he fired high and wide.

His pass put Andre Vidigal in down the right on 30 minutes, but the winger blasted his angled shot over from just inside the area.

Plymouth equalised in the 43rd minute when Finn Azaz played in the impressive Kaine Kesler-Hayden down the right.

The wing-back’s pacy near-post cross was superbly converted into the roof of the net by Bundu, who allowed the ball to run across his body before converting with his left foot past Bonham.

Bundu fired over when well placed at the start of the second half and at the other end Cooper saved well with his feet as Mmaee again got behind the Argyle defence.

After 68 minutes Azaz twisted and turned on the edge of the penalty area before looping a pass over the defence to Cundle, whose angled goal-bound shot was well saved by Bonham.

Fit-again Scottish striker Ryan Hardie went close to giving Argyle the lead in the 84th minute, flashing a header just past the near post from Randell’s in-swinging corner from the left.

Seconds later Hardie again went close to putting Argyle ahead as he latched on to a through ball from Azaz before firing just over the angle of post and bar, after good work by substitute Wright in setting up the attack.

In the first minute of injury time, Bonham fumbled Wright’s cross from the left but City cleared the danger, only for Randell to nick a late winner.