“What was your overall impression of the ‘wow’ factor?” It could have been a question for the Plymouth supporters as they headed for the exits after witnessing a welcome first win under Wayne Rooney but it is actually a line from the judging criteria for the British Fireworks Championships, the other show in town on the night, down on the waterfront. After a chastening start to life back in the dugout, this victory, in Rooney’s first home match, was largely one of relief, no matter the competition or its questionable importance in the grand scheme of things. It will also surely make his Thursday more comfortable, with Rooney the headline act for a sold-out Q&A evening at this stadium.
This threatened to be an awkward evening until Ben Waine, fresh from representing New Zealand at the Olympics, opened the scoring soon after the hour, at which point the shot count was totting up for Plymouth (it finished at 32, eight of which were on target) and Cheltenham were very much alive in the contest. But nine minutes from time Ryan Hardie slotted home and then the substitute Mustapha Bundu capped the scoring with a smartly taken strike from the edge of the box. In the end Plymouth were into the Carabao Cup second round with minimal fuss, League Two opponents dispatched and Rooney departed the pitch applauding the home support, many of whom were singing his name.
At the outset, despite Plymouth’s season being only 99 minutes old, it was impossible to escape the sense that suddenly this match carried a greater significance. Already. It was no longer a routine test against opposition relegated to the fourth tier last season. Things could have not gone much worse for Rooney on Sunday, a humiliating 4-0 defeat at a Sheffield Wednesday side that had finished one place above them in 20th last season and he knew few would be able to resist the temptation to catastrophise Plymouth’s early predicament.
“After the game on Sunday I turned my phone off and watched an episode of First Dates, because it is important to switch off and get away from it,” Rooney said. “I revisited it early Monday morning, watched the game back and then I had a go at the players, basically.” Now Rooney was able to smile.
At the same time, Rooney acknowledged what had gone before was an unacceptable, anaemic performance and he did not hold back from criticising his players’ aggression and concerning lack of intensity. After this victory he singled out the moment the club captain, Joe Edwards, won a tackle that was “70-30 against him” as an example of the kind of application he craves.
“There is a lot of scrutiny on me, that’s fine, I can deal with that,” Rooney said. “There were some harsh words said to the team about the performance [on Sunday] and it was important I got a reaction. The way we lost, it was hard to defend it. I’m pleased we can move away from that. It’s not forgotten but you try and move away from it. Hopefully we can end the week in a good way.”
On a cloudless Devon evening, there was a hum of expectation in the stands and the odd ripple of anxiety, not helped by the goalkeeper Conor Hazard’s miscued clearance after 30 seconds. Rooney is hopeful of adding a new No 1 before Hull visit on Saturday, with homegrown star Michael Cooper poised to join Sheffield United in a deal worth up to £4m. Hazard had few saves to make and desperate Cheltenham blocks prevented Plymouth from taking a first-half lead.
But it was Cheltenham who passed up the best early chance of the second half, winger Jordan Thomas drilling narrowly wide five minutes after the restart, before Waine converted from practically on the goalline. From a free-kick 25 yards out Adam Randell forced a fantastic save from Joe Day, who could only divert the ball on to the crossbar and it dropped kindly for Waine who tapped in from close range.
The substitute Morgan Whittaker, the subject of interest from Rangers, among others, skied a shot on 75 minutes but Hardie calmed any nerves before Bundu got in on the act. “For 65 minutes we did really well but they scored and our heads dropped a little bit,” said the Cheltenham manager, Michael Flynn. “I just said to the lads in the dressing room: ‘You’ll be in the history books now because you’ve been part of Wayne Rooney’s first win as Plymouth boss.’”
