Zak Ansah’s Plymouth Argyle fall in League Two play-offs

The young Ghanaian’s new club failed to reach the League Two play-off final

Zak Ansah played 45 minutes as Plymouth Argyle crashed out of the League Two play-offs with a semi-final defeat to Wycombe Wanderers.

The Ghanaians, who moved to the club on loan from Charlton Athletic earlier in the year, was brought on at the break as Plymouth sought to salvage a result, but was unable to help his side overcome the odds.

Wycombe headed into the second-leg with a major advantage having beaten Plymouth 3-2 on the south coast in the first match between the two last week.

They exerted their dominance early on in the return fixture, and stormed into an early lead through goals through Paul Hayes on eight minutes and Alfie Mawson just after the half-hour mark.

At the break, with his side trailing 5-2 on aggregate, Argyle coach John Sheridan made a triple substitute, bringing on 21-year-old Zak as one of an ambitious trio of half-time substitutes.

Ryan Brunt halved the deficit on the night with a 71st-minute effort, following a smart assist from Ansah, but the Ghanaian and his teammates were unable to stage an unlikely comeback.

The forward had had an opportunity to pull another goal back for the visitors late on, but his effort from the right was saved superbly by Chairboys’ keeper Alex Lynch.

Speaking to the Plymouth Herald after the match, Sheridan accepted the blame for the defeat and his side’s failure to stay alive in the promotion race.

I'm just really disappointed with the way we performed in the first half, for the situation we were in, and that's the big downer.

"I have stuck with my team and the same formation. I have kept faith with them,” he began, "but the performance in the first half was probably the worst I have seen for any team I have managed.

"You can blame me – I pick the team – but we are in a position where we are going for the play-offs.

"We know the importance of it and we just did not get going. That's five goals we have conceded in two games for set play situations.”

Defeat brings the young forward’s stay at Home Park to an end, and it remains to be seen whether he can assert himself at parent club Charlton, or if another loan move beckons.

In total, Ansah made ten appearances for Plymouth, scoring twice, one goal on his debut, and the second in the play-off first-leg defeat to Wycombe.