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It's been less than two weeks since Wayne Rooney left Plymouth, but if the Man United icon was following their clash at Brentford from afar on Saturday, he may have wondered if this was the same team he said goodbye to just a few weeks ago. days.
Despite Rooney's best efforts, he was forced to pack his bags as another defeat left Argyle entrenched in bottom place in the Championship and without a win in nine matches.
But it was away form that proved particularly damaging for Rooney, as his team lost 12 and failed to win any of their 14 matches, with his reign characterized by heavy away defeats.
So when the FA Cup draw gave them a trip to Brentford, a goalscoring team with the second-best home record in the Premier League, Plymouth fans would have been forgiven for hiding behind the sofa.
But something was different in west London. Whether it was the drive of new manager Miron Muslic watching from the stands, the warm presence of four-time caretaker manager Kevin Nancekivell or simply the magic of the FA Cup, Plymouth were unrecognizable from the team that conceded 51 goals in 23 league games. under Rooney.
Here the entire defense was available to Rooney, and perhaps their performances were a dime to his thoughts, as they blocked every ball and gave nothing away.
Rooney was sacked as Plymouth manager on New Year's Eve when they were sitting last at the table.
Plymouth are unbeaten in their three matches since then, recording two draws and one win.
They survived a Brentford attack to claim a 1-0 away victory in the third round of the FA Cup.
Even when Thomas Frank recalled his big boys from the bench, Bryan Mbeumo, Keane Lewis-Potter and Yoane Wissa, Plymouth held firm.
“The players maybe feel a little guilty about losing the coach and want to make up for it,” an emotional Nancekivell said after the game.
'The work had to be organized to suit us, make it as difficult as possible and have a bit of quality when we got there. And Morgan produced that bit of quality that won us the game.”
Indeed, it was a “bit of quality” from Whittaker, a star linked with the likes of Lazio, Atalanta, Rangers and Premier League sides including Brentford in recent times.
Plymouth have vowed to hold firm against any interest in the attacker in January, but a winning display like this will only increase potential suitors.
Nancekivell said: “I wasn't surprised when it hit the back of the net because it has that quality.”
“Congratulations to Plymouth,” Frank added. 'They deserved the victory. “They defended brilliantly and scored a really good goal from the player we knew could score the goal.”