Plymouth Argyle will play the second of three group matches in the EFL Trophy when they face Cheltenham Town at Whaddon Road tonight (745h)
The Pilgrims lost 3-2 to the Norwich City Under-21s when they started competing this season at Home Park on September 8
That same night, Cheltenham won 1-0 away from Newport County, with former Pilgrims forward Reuben Reid scoring the decisive goal
These results mean Argyle must beat Ligue 2 team Cheltenham on their own ground to have a realistic chance of advancing to the round of 16
Argyle’s new loan midfielder at Nottingham Forest, Tyrese Fornah, set to make his Pilgrims debut at Whaddon Road
The 21-year-old was an unused replacement in the 1-0 Ligue 1 loss to Hull City on Saturday, after completing his transfer from Forest on Friday
With Norwich City’s Under-21 victory tonight 5-0 at Newport County, Argyle already knows they can’t advance to the EFL Trophy knockout stage with a group game to play
Referee Chris Sarginson plays four extra minutes in time Argyle still trails 2-0 and heads for defeat
George Cooper received the game’s first yellow card in the 87th minute for diving
Reuben Reid put the home side 2-0 in the 77th minute with a shot that went into the net inside Jack Ruddy’s left post
The ball falls at the feet of Reuben Reid in the penalty area after an unfortunate punch from Argyle goalkeeper Jack Ruddy, but the former Argyle striker blows it over the bar It should have been 2-0 for the Robins
Meanwhile, Ryan Hardie had the ball in Cheltenham’s net for Argyle but it was flagged offside
George Cooper replaced Ryan Law at left-back in the 65th minute as Argyle tried to find a way back in this game
Conor Grant was sent to play central midfielder in the 60th minute, replacing Klaidi Lolos
Cheltenham was rewarded for his more enterprising play in the second half with a goal from Reuben Reid
The former Argyle forward weathered a few challenges before shooting high into the net, leaving Jack Ruddy no chance to make a save
Argyle leads 1-0 after 56 minutes and hasn’t really started in the second half yet
Klaidi Lolos, playing in central midfielder for Argyle, failed to convert a good opportunity in the 53rd minute when he shot too high from near the penalty spot
Cheltenham moved up a gear early in the second half, putting Argyle’s defense under pressure for the first time Reuben Reid just got a shot from the edge of the box narrowly deflected on the crossbar
Only one halftime substitution as Cheltenham replaced goalkeeper Scott Flinders with Max Harris
Flinders was playing his first game since early January after recovering from a broken leg
In the other South Group F game tonight, the Norwich City Under-21s led 4-0 in the 78th minute Tyrese Omotoye got a hat-trick and Matthew Dennis was on target as well
Norwich will have six points in two matches and secure their progression in the last 32
Newport will have zero points in two group matches, so either Cheltenham or Argyle are likely to advance to the knockout stage
Argyle should really be in the lead at the break Ryan Hardie had three good chances while his hitting partner Dom Telford also went close with a shot, but he remains scoreless
Argyle rookie Tyrese Fornah plays the role of keeper in midfield and does a good job taking the ball from defenders and pushing Argyle forward
As for Ben Reeves, he has been excellent with his range of passes We’re in a minute of add to the hour
Argyle regularly takes the three-player central defense from Cheltenham, but they don’t take advantage of it The Robins have had possession spells in and around the Pilgrims; penalty area but did very little
Plymouth-born Cheltenham defender and captain Ben Tozer has the first chance of the game to throw one of his long, scored touches into Argyle’s penalty area, but he’s clearly led by Will Aimson of ‘Argyle
Tozer’s long throw-ins are just as threatening as a turn because they enter the box at such speed and with the same type of trajectory
This time it is striker Dom Telford who has the chance to open the scoring in the 28th minute Telford breaks forward on the right and checks inside on his right foot before pushing the ball away from the far post
Argyle should really have a few goals ahead after the first half hour
Ryan Hardie had another chance after a short turn routine, but he missed his shot and passed Scott Flinders Hardie left post could have already had a hat trick in this game
For the second time in the game, Argyle forward Ryan Hardie enters the gap behind the Cheltenham defense and, once again, Cheltenham goalkeeper Scott Flinders makes a save
This time the ball spins on Flinders and lands over the crossbar and out of play for a corner kick Hardie will be disappointed not to have converted those two individual chances he had
Cheltenham have their first chance to score in the 13th minute and it’s a good opportunity
Reuben Reid gets a powerful turn shot from the center of the penalty area, but goalkeeper Jack Ruddy makes a great one-handed save and Will Aimson puts the ball back for a corner kick, which Argyle dealt with
Despite nine changes to Argyle’s starting lineup, they still try to play the ball out of defense and « through thirds » like Ryan Lowe always preaches to them to do.
He just played a good ball on the channel so Ryan Hardie could run but the Argyle forward went too early and was taken offside
Argyle has a big chance to open the scoring in just the fifth minute as forward Ryan Hardie moves away from the Cheltenham defense
He tries a low shot but is stopped by the outstretched left leg of Cheltenham goalkeeper Scott Flinders
After two false starts to get the game going, we’re on our way to Whaddon Road Argyle in green shirts, black shorts and white socks
ARGYLE (3-1-4-2): Jack Ruddy; Scott Wootton, Will Aimson, Brandon Pursall; Tyrese Fornah; Joe Edwards, Klaidi Lolos, Ben Reeves, Ryan Law; Ryan Hardie, Dom Telford
CHELTENHAM (3-4-1-2): Scott Flinders, Charlie Raglan, Ben Tozer, Dan Bowry; Tom Sang, Elliot Bonds, Chris Clements, Lewis Freestone; Alex Addai; Reuben Reid, Alfie May
They started their game tonight at 7pm and South Wales’ latest scoreline is 1-0 at Norwich, who opened the scoring in just the second minute thanks to Tyrese Omotoye
Argyle and Cheltenham made nine changes to their squads which started their respective league games on Saturday. 18 in total!
Former Argyle forward Reuben Reid and Plymouth-born defender Ben Tozer are both part of Cheltenham’s starting lineup
The same goes for the 34-year-old keeper, who has not played since January 4 due to a broken leg
Cheltenham Town FC, Plymouth Argyle FC, EFL League Two, EFL Trophy, Reuben Reid, Newport County AFC, EFL Championship, Steven Schumacher, Ryan Lowe
World News – UK – Cheltenham vs Argyle LIVE: Pilgrims lag 2-0 after Reid’s brace
