Plymouth boss Tom Cleverley hails ‘huge’ last-gasp Malachi Boateng leveller

Plymouth boss Tom Cleverley hailed Malachi Boateng’s last-minute leveller against Exeter as their “most important goal this season”.

Relegation-threatened Exeter twice took the lead at Home Park through Reece Cole and then a deflected Jordan Wareham effort in the 87th minute, but the hosts hit back on both occasions to snatch a point which keeps them in the League One play-off hunt.

Argyle top scorer Lorent Tolaj cancelled out Cole’s effort before Boateng was in the right place at the right time as the ball cannoned off him from goalkeeper Jack Bycroft’s attempted clearance.

Cleverley, who has set his side a play-off target of 72 points, said: “Malachi’s goal is without doubt our most important goal this season.

“That goal is huge in terms of, ‘Okay, we’ve dropped two points, but we’ve not completely lost momentum. We’ve jolted momentum a little bit, but we’ve not completely lost it’.

“I’m sure in a couple of days I’ll focus on the character we’ve shown to come back from behind twice.

“We’ve not stopped the momentum with drawing the game, but I’m disappointed first and foremost.

“Firstly it felt like it was the windiest day of the year and that really affected the quality of the football match.

“Secondly, I thought we looked a bit edgy as a team.

“We had 20 shots and the 10 on target probably flatter us a little bit.

“We’ve conceded two poor goals again, very similar to the Bolton game, where we’re on top and then just after half-time shoot ourselves in the foot and then again at 1-1.

“We will address that in the week. We feel like it’s two points dropped today and the performance didn’t deserve anything more.

“The wind was incredibly strong going towards the Barn Park End and that is where you needed to take advantage.”

Interim Exeter boss Matt Taylor said he had “mixed emotions”.

He said: “I’m immensely proud of my players, the supporters, the football club.

“But when you go ahead twice – and certainly for the second time – so late on in the game, you’re hoping and expecting you can see the game out.

“Full credit to the opposition, they put us under enough pressure to get back into the game. I liked us today, we gave everything and a little bit more.

“I can’t speak highly enough of what the players did today.

“The big message really is that, if we perform like we did today for the remaining three games, we’ll give ourselves a really good chance.

“We have been going in the right direction, the pressure will keep on coming, but there’ll be no bigger pressure than today, no bigger expectation than today and the fact that the players approached it in the manner that
they did, I’m immensely proud.

“We probably missed some attacking opportunities in that first half. There was a bit more space for us to play and to break through.

“Maybe it was a bit of nerves, a bit of anxiety.

“I don’t think you realise how big a part the wind played in that game.”