By Laura Fell
In what is the biggest League Two stadium I have seen Cheltenham Town play in, I witnessed what was, in Mark Yates' words, their worst performance of the season.
The atmosphere was vociferous. It was adamantly clear that Plymouth were fighting for their lives.
Scrapping for every available ball, and carried by the relentless, incessant chanting and vicious shouts from the 7,941 strong crowd, Plymouth put two balls in to the back of the Cheltenham net without response.
It was a nervy display from Cheltenham and an intensely uncomfortable viewing experience.
With an outdoor press seat nestled close to Plymouth Argyle commentators and surrounded by dark green fans, I felt the pressure of Home Park.
The Robins and Argyle had much at stake as this game kicked off, for different reasons. Three points would be vital for both teams and that was palpable in both the tempo and tension of the game.
For Plymouth, once a Championship side, the fight against relegation to the Conference roared on. For Cheltenham, poised in fourth place, agonisingly close to an automatic promotion spot, three points would begin their campaign for four wins out of four remaining games.
Yates named an unchanged team from their 1-0 win over third placed Northampton, which meant that stalwart captain Penn was again on the bench after fitness concerns ruled him out of their Easter Monday match.
Incessant chanting from Plymouth's green army in the first ten minutes of the game did little to deter Cheltenham from taking the initiative and Argyle struggled to claim possession.
Early chances for Marlon Pack and Paul Benson were not converted, but showed that Cheltenham's 4-4-2 formation could be effective once again. In the 25th minute however, Cheltenham were struck by injury – Benson went down clutching his left ankle and was stretchered off.
Shaun Harrad came on to replace Benson up front.
Plymouth settled and with it came some efficient use of the width of the pitch, stretching Cheltenham's defence. Jason Banton had more than a few chances to open the scoring and put his side ahead but blasted them high above the goal.
Cheltenham were enjoying their share of the possession but could not finish off their attacks with the goal they yearned for.
Argyle put Cheltenham under deafening pressure on counterattacks as the Robins seemed to lack something in the middle.
A goal in the 40th minute came as no surprise.
Joe Bryan had an almighty strike to shudder the far post, before Reid followed up with the rebound to hit the back of the net which Brown could do little about.
Plymouth's Green Army rose as one roaring their approval.
1-0 to Argyle and a deserved goal after pacey play that had caused our defence problems on the counter-attack.
Things went from bad to worse in the second half, as wave after wave of dark green attacks crashed towards the Cheltenham goal.
As the pressure reached breaking point, Bhasera crossed from the left in front of the Cheltenham goal, and it hit Michael Hector's body to sail past Brown and hit the back of the net.
Hector smashed the ball to the ground in frustration. Brown sat on the floor in disbelief.
Cheltenham had to respond yet struggled to keep their composure in a heated, frustrated display of football.
After a sliding clash on the touchline, Kaid Mohammed received a yellow card, and was subsequently booed violently whenever he touched the ball, the deep rumble resonating around the stadium
The referee received his fair share of abuse too, for not giving Mohamed a straight red. Chants of 'You don't know what you're doing' rang around Home Park.
While Cheltenham had a good spell in the last 15 minutes of the second half, as Mohamed and Keith Lowe made darting runs down the wings to cross in to the box and Russ Penn made a real impact coming on, the Argyle counter-attacks were fast, ferocious and dangerous.
Every surge forward was another shot fired towards the goal, forcing the unshakable Brown to make a series of saves.
There was nothing to cheer about at the final whistle.
Yates'comments after the match said everything. Abject. Unacceptable. Pathetic. And he made it clear this is what he had told his players.
A clash with an abusive Cheltenham fan as the team went over to thank them left a sour note at the end of an exceptionally difficult day in the Devonshire sunshine for the Robins.
As Yates said, Cheltenham must now lick their wounds and come back fighting.
