​Plymouth 3 Bristol City 2: 

Nicky Maynard ended his goal drought in spectacular fashion with a brilliantly taken double, but City still returned from Home Park pointless.

Having previously scored just once in 20 games, the youngster so nearly salvaged a much-needed point for Gary Johnson’s side after they had trailed 2-0 at the break.

But Carl Fletcher’s 18-yard strike in the first minute of stoppage time consigned City to yet another away defeat.

First half goals from Chris Clark and Bradley Wright-Phillips put Argyle ahead following a disjointed first half showing from the visitors.

Clark’s was a cracking first-time shot after City failed to clear a cross and Wright-Phillips’ was also a poor one to concede.

A long throw from Kari Arnason was criminally allowed to bounce in the middle of the visitors’ area and the former Southampton man smashed home an overhead kick.

Maynard’s first strike since his Football League goal of 2009 award winner at Queens Park Rangers on Boxing Day came with a low free kick drilled through the Argyle defensive wall.

And his second came when he used his pace to run away from the home backline and again fire into the same bottom corner 21 minutes later.

City finished the game with ten men Jamal Campbell-Ryce received his second booking in quick succession. First the former Barnsley man saw yellow for dissent and then a late challenge on Clark, who had to go off, saw him shown red.

The visitors then failed to adequately clear a free kick and Wales international Fletcher showed composure to arrow his shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box and possibly hand Paul Mariner’s men a relegation lifeline.

Robins boss Gary Johnson chose to revamp his midfield with Paul Hartley and Lee Johnson dropping out. Marvin Elliott was asked to return after knee ligament trouble and Ivan Sproule was recalled.

New on loan Wolves striker Stefan Maierhofer replaced Chris Iwelumo, who has returned to the Premier League club while Jamie McAllister moved in at left-back with Lewin Nyatanga benched and Liam Fontaine switching inside to centre half.

City had the first real effort on goal after seven minutes when Maynard, searching for only his second goal in 21 games, shot wide from long range.

A minute later Campbell-Ryce crossed from the left, Maierhofer prodded the ball back and Marvin Elliott also shot past the post.

The game’s first really controversial moment came when City winger Sproule was booked for allegedly diving over a challenge from Chris Barker. Sproule protested his innocence but referee Trevor Kettle was having none of it.

Plymouth’s first effort of note saw Wright-Phillips swing a shot that was well blocked by Louis Carey.

Maierhofer had the ball in the net on 22 minutes when Maynard teed up Cole Skuse whose shot was saved. The Austrian turned in the rebound but was adjudged to have been in an offside position when Skuse had shot and so, much to his chagrin, the linesman flagged.

Home hopes were raised when Dean Gerken dropped a high ball under pressure from Reda Johnson but the Benin international was penalised for a foul.

And they took the lead on the half-hour mark when left-back Barker was allowed to cross from the left and the ball sailed over the City defence for Chris Clark to smash home his first league goal in 76 appearances for Argyle.

City failed to respond and it was Argyle who came closer to the next goal when Jamie Mackie fizzed a right foot shot from 30 yards that Gerken saved at the second attempt.

And City conceded again on the stroke of the break when a long throw from Kari Arnason was allowed to bounce in the box and Wright-Phillips fired in a spectacular overhead kick that gave Gerken no chance.

In first half stoppage time Maynard broke down the left and had a shot saved but they had little to show for their efforts and Johnson tried to change matters by replacing Sproule with Danny Haynes at the break.

City had a chance to get back into it when Maynard raced clear and Plymouth keeper David Stockdale beat him to the ball but was lying on the ground when the ball broke to Maierhofer.

The Austria international did not even get a shot in, instead running past the ball and losing possession.

But City hit back moments later with Maynard’s super strike after Skuse had tapped the free kick short to him.

And the visitors almost leveled from a set-piece soon after but McAllister’s ferocious strike was superbly parried aside by Stockdale.

Louis Carey then denied Argyle a third when he threw his body in the line of a shot from Yala Bolasie as the game opened up.

And Mackie also had a chance to seal it but he dragged his shot across goal after Joe Mason had blocked McAllister’s clearance.

Maynard leveled when Arnason failed to clear a long ball and the former Crewe man ran clear to fire home with a low drive.

And he so nearly completed a hat-trick when Haynes went down the right and crossed and City’s top scorer headed just wide of the near post.

Following Campbell-Ryce’s sending off, Fletcher had the last word with his superbly struck strike.

 

 

Plymouth Argyle (4-4-2): Stockdale, Duguid, Johnson, Arnason, Barker; Clark (Judge 88), Johnson, Fletcher, Bolasie; Wright-Phillips (Mason 70), Mackie. Subs: Larrieu, Fallon, Summerfield, N’Gala, Cooper.

Bristol City (4-4-2): Gerken; Orr, Carey, Fontaine, McAllister (Nyatanga 79); Sproule (Haynes 46), Elliott, Skuse, Campbell-Ryce; Maierhofer (Clarkson 79), Maynard. Subs: Johnson, Hartley, Ribeiro, Henderson.