Jacobs' cracker in vain as Cobblers sign off rotten season with a defeat

A surprisingly fun first half saw Town race into a shock 2-0 lead as Elliott List’s smart finish was followed by a thunderbolt by Michael Jacobs just five minutes later. It was the first time they had scored two goals in a game for three months.

But other results were going Plymouth’s way in their pursuit of the play-offs and so it was no surprise that they roared back to level before the break thanks to goals from Laurent Tolaj and Malachi Boateng.

Conor McCarthy was sent off for two yellow cards either side of half-time and Brendan Wiredu then completed the turnaround, and at that point Argyle were in the top six and on course for a play-off place.

However, their sold-out away support went from boisterous to silent in the closing stages when late winners for Stevenage and Luton meant they will be playing League One football again next season. Cobblers, meanwhile, have known for several weeks that League Two awaits them.

Calderwood made some eye-catching calls with his team selection as Max Dyche wore the armband and Terry Taylor, Jordan Willis, Michael Jacobs and Elliott List all returned to the side. Jon Guthrie and Tom Eaves were not in the squad, while the bench included 17-year-old academy midfielder Mateo Moon-Arnaez, a first-year scholar from the youth team, as well as young striker Neo Dobson, another homegrown player.

Plymouth’s need to win this game to have any chance of making the play-offs was reflected by their fast start as both Bim Pepple and Owen Dale went close inside 90 seconds, the latter in particular should have done better when left in acres of space at the back post.

Mathias Ross also lashed over and it seemed only a matter of time until the away team made their dominance count, but instead it was Cobblers who struck against the run of play on 13 minutes. Jacobs was the architect, bringing down a long ball on the left and then showing excellent awareness to pick out List, who applied a cool finish through the legs of Luca Ashy-Hammond.

That lifted the crowd and suddenly belief and confidence oozed through the home side, and a spectacular second goal arrived just five minutes later. After Nesta Guinness-Walker saw a shot saved by Ashby-Hammond from Jacobs’ cross, the two combined again for the latter to produce a stunning first-time finish that crashed home via the crossbar from 20 yards.

Plymouth were somewhat shell-shocked by events and it took them a while to rediscover their composure, but they were right back in the game on 28 minutes when Town failed to clear a cross and the ball fell kindly for Tolaj to beat Lee Burge via the aid of a big deflection.

The home side were playing some of their best football in an age and Ashby-Hammond was called upon again to save low down from List, but Plymouth looked a constant threat throughout the first half and they were level before half-time.

Cobblers could not clear their lines from a corner and the ball bounced around in the box before being lashed in by Boateng to level things up going into the break.

Argyle had all of the motivation and momentum to go on and win and they nearly completed the turnaround within 10 minutes of the restart as Burge raced off his line to smother at the feet of Ronan Curtis.

Plymouth were then given a huge helping hand when McCarthy, already on a yellow, made a poor challenge on Boatengand the referee wasted no time in sending the defender for an early bath.

Sam Hoskins replaced Guinness-Walker and immediately contributed by making a brilliant goal-line clearance to deny Curtis after Burge had pulled off a fine save.

But a Plymouth goal was inevitable and it came with 15 minutes to go when they worked the ball to Wiredu in space on the edge of the box and he found the corner via another deflection.

Dobson came on for the final five minutes, alongside Jack Vale and Dean Campbell, but the game had gone and with wins for Stevenage and Luton elsewhere, the afternoon ended in disappointment for both sets of supporters.

Cobblers: Burge, McCarthy, Willis, Dyche ©, McAdam (Campbell 85), Guinness-Walker (Hoskins 63), Taylor, McGeehan, Jacobs (Dobson 85), List (Swyer 70), Evans (Vale 85)

Subs not used: Fitzsimons, Moon-Arnaez

Plymouth: Ashby-Hammond, Ross (MacKenzie 69), Edwards © (Pleguezuelo 69), Harding, Mitchell, Watts (Wiredu 55), Boateng, Curtis (Sorinola 87), Dale (Amaechi 55), Pepple, Tolaj

Subs not used: Baker, Ibrahim

Referee: Ben Speedie

Attendance: 7,131

Plymouth fans: 1,531