Adam Randell gets dramatic late winner in 100th Plymouth Argyle game

The Pilgrims beat Stoke City 2-1 in the Championship match at Home Park as the substitute netted in the seventh minute of added time

Substitute Adam Randell celebrated his 100th Plymouth Argyle appearance in style with a dramatic last-gasp winning goal to beat Stoke City at Home Park.

More than six minutes of added time had been played at the end of the Championship match when 23-year-old Randell fired low into the net after Callum Wright and Luke Cundle both had shots blocked. A packed Theatre of Greens exploded into noise as Randell raced away to celebrate clinching a sixth Championship win of the season for his hometown club.

It was also with virtually the last kick of the contest as referee Sam Barrott blew the final whistle just seconds after a stunned Stoke restarted the play.

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Argyle had fallen behind to a 23rd minute goal from Tyrese Campbell but Mustapha Bundu equalised with a deft close range finish shortly before the break.

The Pilgrims put a poor first half performance behind them as they had the better scoring chances in the second period, with Cundle and substitute Ryan Hardie both going close to giving them the lead, before the late drama involving Randell.

The Green Army saluted Randell by signing ‘He’s one of our own’ as he and his team-mates took their acclaim after the thrilling finish.

Brendan Galloway made his first start for Argyle since mid-April as one of three changes to the team from the 1-0 defeat away to Coventry City in midweek.

Dan Scarr also returned to the side, as did Bundu, who led the attack for the Pilgrims as he made just his second Championship start for the Pilgrims. The previous one had been in a 3-0 home win against Sheffield Wednesday in late October.

The trio of Joe Edwards, Julio Pleguezuelo and Ben Waine all dropped down to the substitutes’ bench, which also included Hardie and Mickel Miller.

Hardie was fit again after five weeks out with a hamstring injury while Miller had served a one-match suspension against Coventry.

Galloway had played as a substitute in the previous two games following long-term injury and lined up at left-back in a 4-3-3 formation against Stoke, with Scarr alongside Lewis Gibson in central defence..

Jordan Houghton was the captain with Edwards on the bench while goalkeeper Mike Cooper made his 150th appearance for Argyle, still only at the age of 24.

Morgan Whittaker had an early threatening cross put behind by Stoke defender Luke McNally and from the resulting corner the ball dropped to Cundle, whose close range shot was blocked.

Whittaker was involved in another attack when he cut in from the right after a driving run and played the ball across to Finn Azaz, who checked back onto his right foot but dragged his shot wide of the target.

Houghton picked up an early yellow card for a foul on Stoke skipper Josh Laurent before Mike Cooper made his first save for Argyle from a Ciaran Clark header at a free-kick for the visitors..

Some miscommunication between Scarr and Cooper led to the Pilgrims needlessly conceding a corner, which was swung deep by Laurent and the header from Campbell towards the far post went over the bar.

Stoke striker Ryan Mmaee had a shot deflect wide off Gibson as the visitors looked sharp on the attack and they took the lead in the 23rd minute.

A poor clearance from Cooper went straight down to Ben Pearson and the City midfielder headed the ball forward. Mmaee was coming back from an offside position but Gibson did not realise Campbell was making a run in behind him.

Gibson hesitated for a split second and that allowed the Stoke attacker to get in a low shot past Cooper to open the scoring.

City could have had a second goal soon afterwards when Houghton was robbed of the ball by Laurent and it led to a shooting chance for South Korean attacker Bae Jun-ho, who sent the ball over the bar from a good position.

Andre Vidigal also fired too high from a tight angle after taking on Scarr as Stoke continued to win the ball back deep inside Argyle territory.

Cundle made an important tackle when Vidigal tried to go past him just outside the Pilgrims’ box after another Stoke break, this time after Houghton had a pass intercepted deep inside the visitors’ half.

Having had a very shaky spell, Argyle were able to draw level in the 43rd minute when Azaz played the ball out to Kesler-Hayden and his excellent low cross from the right touchline was guided high into the net by Bundu.

It was a second Argyle goal for the Sierra Leone international after he had scored in the victory over Sheffield Wednesday on his last start for the club, and meant his side somewhat fortuitously went into the break on level terms.

Bundu had a great chance to get another goal in the opening minute of the second half when he was played through by Cundle and his shot was beaten away by Bonham and then ricocheted out of play off Ciaran Clark for a corner.

Stoke had the next chance with a clever flick from Mmaee which was saved by Cooper following a Laurent corner while Bundu had another goal attempt when he drilled a shot wide of Bonham’s left post.

Cooper then made an excellent stop to kick away a shot from Mmaee after the striker had run onto a pass from Bae Jun-ho as the play swung from one end of the pitch to the other at the start of the second half.

Kesler-Hayden made a terrific sliding tackle inside the Pilgrims’ box on Bae Jun-ho to prevent him getting in a shot before Azaz blasted a low cross from Bundu high over the bar from 15 yards out.

Both teams were pushing hard to get their second goal of the game which provided lots of action for the fans inside the Theatre of Greens.

Cundle had a great chance to put Argyle 2-1 up when he was picked out by a superb lofted pass from Azaz but the on-loan Swansea City midfielder had his attempt blocked away for a corner by Bonham.

Hardie was sent on as a 68th minute substitute for Mumba before the corner was taken, which meant Bundu moved out to a wide right attacking role and Whittaker was on the left.

Galloway and Houghton made way for 76th minute Argyle substitutes Miller and Adam Randell before Gibson did extremely well to charge down a shot from Campbell after Stoke broke down the left.

Matt Butcher and Callum Wright were Argyle’s final two substitutes for Kesler-Hayden and Whittaker before Hardie sent a curling shot over the bar from an excellent position after Wright and Azaz had linked up well.

Bonham fumbled a cross from Wright in added time but Stoke were able to clear their lines before an Argyle player could pounce on the ball

It looked like it would be a point apiece until the seventh minute of added time. Wright’s initial shot from the left was pushed away by Bonham and a follow-up from Cundle was blocked by Clark before Randell drilled the ball home.

ARGYLE: Mike Cooper; Kaine Kesler-Hayden (Matt Butcher 82 mins), Dan Scarr, Lewis Gibson, Brendan Galloway (Mickel Miller 76 mins); Luke Cundle, Jordan Houghton (Adam Randell 76 mins), Finn Azaz; Morgan Whittaker (Callum Wright 82 mins), Mustapha Bundu, Bali Mumba (Ryan Hardie 68 mins).

Substitutes: Conor Hazard, Julio Pleguezuelo, Joe Edwards, Ben Waine.

STOKE: Jack Bonham; Ki-Jana Hoever, Luke McNally, Ciaran Clark, Lynden Gooch; Josh Laurent, Ben Pearson; Tyrese Campbell (Nathan Lowe 90 mins), Andre Vidigal (Mehdi Leris 71 mins), Bae Jun-ho (Lewis Baker 82 mins); Ryan Mmaee.

Substitutes: Tommy Simkin, Michael Rose, Dwight Gayle, Jordan Thompson, Wesley, Junior Tchamadeu.

REFEREE: Sam Barrott

ATTENDANCE: 16,371 (1,546)

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