PLYMOUTH 3 CITY 3

THERE was a moment midway through the first half when the rain finally stopped and a watery sun peeped out through the clouds.

Plymouth pin-up boy Graham Carey had just pinged the outside of City’s post with a free-kick.

But the Bantams remained 2-1 to the good and suddenly all seemed well with the world.

The storm clouds of 2018 had temporarily been lifted. At the end of a week that finally saw the back of Edin Rahic, it appeared even higher forces were nodding in approval.

The win that would have lifted City off the bottom of League One unfortunately proved beyond them at the end of a frenetic but thoroughly entertaining contest.

But that glimpse of calmer skies suggested that the outlook for this season may not turn out as black as many have feared.

Yes, it was two points dropped as David Hopkin was quick to point out afterwards. You suspect his words in public were far kinder than those delivered behind the closed door of the dressing room.

And yes, any team that leads three times and still does not walk away victorious will rightly be kicking themselves over a huge opportunity missed.

But his first result as the “manager”, after three months as Rahic’s self-defined head coach, once more demonstrated the fighting qualities that Hopkin is instilling in the ranks.

They are still conceding too many goals – and too many preventable goals – but there is no knocking the commitment or energy.

A first three-goal haul of the season – and only second in the calendar year – represents another small step forward.

“If only” lingered in the thoughts on the team bus on the marathon journey back from deepest Devon. At one stage, City were looking at the lofty heights of rising as far as 22nd with Wimbledon also trailing.

But the key before the game had been to ensure that no ground was lost on Plymouth. That, at least, was job done.

The gap to “safety” was trimmed by a point to six as Stuart McCall’s Scunthorpe continue to implode. What a massive game that is promising to be when McCall makes his highly-anticipated Valley Parade return three days before Christmas.

Bristol Rovers, too, remain in free-fall while Oxford and Rochdale are not out the woods. The enthusiastic reaction at the final whistle from the 252 diehards in the away end suggested they can see a way out of this mess.

I wonder how this result went down in Stuttgart?

Was the despised former chairman logged in to Ifollow to watch every kick from afar or has his rapid withdrawal extended to cancelling his club website subscription?

Hopkin had called on his side to embrace the feeling of euphoria among the fans since the news broke that Rahic had officially left the building. Technically he had done so more than a fortnight earlier when he retreated back home.

But the unity restored since the German’s exit was evident in the wholehearted backing that rang out through the Home Park rain.

Finally it seems that the disconnect that has marked City’s decline over the past year can be buried in the past. Saturday had the genuine feel of a fresh start for all concerned.

Of course, it should have been a winning one.

Hopkin had gone with an extra striker to take the game to Plymouth and George Miller rewarded his faith with a first league goal in nearly three months.

It was a confident finish as well from the young striker, to go with two assists and two further chances of glory when City came on strong in the closing moments.

Going forward, there was a clinical edge about their play which again has been a rarity.

Jack Payne was at the heart of the attacking moves, probing and prompting down the middle in a free role that almost made him the centre forward with Miller and Eoin Doyle either side.

Lewis O’Brien was always an eager runner alongside him and gave Plymouth a few scares when they got caught playing too high a line.

City needed just four minutes to take advantage of that defensive discomfort.

Ryan Edwards, just back from injury, was caught in possession by Miller. His shot was parried by Matt Macey and the rebound popped up for Payne to stroke home.

That goal launched an end-to-end free-for-all which belied suggestions of a cagey, nervous encounter given the high stakes.

The giveaway of where the sides were in the table came from some of the defending and mistakes under pressure.

City were exposed from Plymouth’s quick response as Freddie Ladapo nodded in after the visitors failed to react to a short corner.

But back they bounced as the Miller and Payne combo struck gold once more.

Again Miller was the creator, forcing a save from on-loan Arsenal stopper Macey. Again the ball popped out to Payne – which he again dispatched with aplomb via the underside of the bar.

Carey’s close-shave that followed hinted that City’s luck was in.

But it was a familiar tale five minutes after the break when nobody reacted as Joel Grant bundled home from close range.

As Hopkin raged at his team’s doziness, the Bantams regained their place in his good books with Miller’s well-struck third.

Richard O’Donnell preserved the advantage with a fine double save from Antoni Sarcevic and David Fox. Then he tipped over a header from sub Ryan Taylor.

But the corner again proved City’s undoing as Ladapo scrambled a third Plymouth leveller.

You feared the worst at that stage with around 20 minutes to go. But instead it was City who found a second – or should that be fourth – wind.

Miller, a constant nuisance to the Argyle back four, was slipped in again on goal. But from a tight angle, Macey stayed strong to block with his right leg.

And then, well into the five added minutes, the on-loan Middlesbrough man was presented with one last one-on-one. But centre half Yann Songo’o appeared from nowhere to snake a leg in front and steal away what appeared a certain goal.

So nearly but not quite as City’s search for a first win at Plymouth since August 1994 goes on. But another indication that the long-range forecast is not necessarily all doom and gloom.