PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 1 CITY 0
League Division 2
6th November 1965
Attendance 15,964
scorer Williams
City Dowd, Kennedy, Sear, Cheetham, Heslop, Oakes, Summerbee, Crosson, Pardoe, Connor, Young – Sub Bacuzzi
Plymouth Leiper, Book, Baird, Williams, Nelson, Hare, Jones, Newman, Lord, Trebilcock, Reynolds
It was reunion time down in Devon. Malcolm Allison, City’s assistant manager, was returning to the Plymouth ground where he’d recently been the boss, and the Pilgrims had promised to give him a warm welcome.
And guess who was wearing the No 2 shirt for Argyle? Yes, none other than Tony Book, who would travel north to join City the following close-season.
It was a humdinger of a game, culminating in Plymouth’s first win for a couple of months as they overcame the Blues, who were fresh from a three-day toning-up break in Torquay. It was only the second defeat of the season but the third consecutive game where we had failed to score.
Mike Summerbee was the home team’s chief tormentor in the first half – and Lady Luck was also sitting comfortably on their crossbar.
Andy Nelson appeared to handle the ball as he struggled to contain Glyn Pardoe but the referee penalised Pardoe. Then, right on the half-time whistle, goalkeeper John Leiper went up for a high cross, dropped the ball, and Dave Connor popped it into the net. But again the official ruled in favour of Argyle.
Their goal arrived after 60 minutes. Richard Reynolds centred and Barrie Jones helped the ball on. Johnny Williams and Frank Lord galloped through the defence and it was the former who got the final touch to beat Harry Dowd.
Williams later brought a superb save from Dowd with a blistering drive, but City stormed back in search of an equaliser. The nearest they came was when Connor unbelievably put the ball over the bar from about two yards out.
ADAPTED FROM AN ARTICLE BY JOHN MADDOCKS IN THE CITY PROGRAMME 4TH NOVEMBER 1995