MICHAEL Timlin held his hands up to a disappointing Town effort in the final pre-season home encounter - but insisted it should not overshadow what he believes are the great strides forward made by Danny Wilson’s men this summer.

Second half strikes from Marcel Seip and Luke Summerfield condemned Timlin and co to a forgettable 2-0 defeat at the hands of former boss Paul Sturrock’s Championship outfit - in the final warm-up clash for most of Wilson’s squad before Saturday’s lunchtime League One opener at Gillingham.

As the majority of the 2,064 spectators departed the County Ground none the wiser as to the solution to the chronic striker shortage which left the hosts totally ineffective up front, midfielder Timlin emerged from the dressing room to declare the pre-season campaign a success before the big kick-off at the Priestfield Stadium.

“We are disappointed because it’s been a really good pre-season,’’ said Timlin.

“I just think we didn’t really get going. We didn’t apply ourselves in the game as well as we should. But it’s better it happens now, rather than the first game of the season.’’ While worries about their potency up front remain, Timlin believes Town have at least proved resilient at the back in their July matches and have also proven more adaptable to tactical changes.

“You could see that towards the end of last season, the manager was trying to get a style of play he wanted us to do,’’ he added.

“You could slowly see that happening then and that’s probably been the biggest thing for us pre-season.

“I’ve noticed it personally that the style he wants us to play is exactly how we are playing. We have to improve on it, but we’re heading in the right direction and as long as he (Wilson) is happy and we’re fulfilling his ambitions, we’re in the right direction.

“One thing he (Wilson) has said to us is that he didn’t want us to just play an orthodox 4-4-2, he wants the players to be able to play a few different positions and be capable of doing it without worrying about it.

“I think we’ve managed to get that really well, even though it didn’t work out here so well.’’ In truth, Town’s final friendly against league opposition was a desperate affair which only served to highlight Wilson’s urgent need for extra firepower up front.

While much of the home side’s build-up play was commendable, Plymouth keeper Romain Larrieu was not called upon to make a meaningful save in 90 turgid minutes.

Youngster Lloyd Macklin showed plenty of willing in working the channels up front, but looked a raw prospect rather than a solution, while Billy Paynter battled manfully against physical defending and was eventually brought off, as much for his own wellbeing as anything else, leaving the startling sight of Kevin Amankwaah pushed up from right wing-back to partner sub Mark Marshall for the final minutes.

The first half matched the conditions - gloomy - as Town keeper Phil Smith gathering a couple of weak drives from distance while his teammates lined up in a 3-5-2 formation.

It livened up a little after the break, Plymouth’s Ashley Barnes seeing yellow for a crunching high tackle on Timlin before Rory Fallon received a former hero’s welcome when he emerged from the Argyle bench for the final 35 minutes.

And it was Fallon who teed up the opener, heading a corner back into the danger zone where Dutch defender Seip first headed goalwards, then smashed the rebound into the roof of the net on 56 minutes.

That was the cue for a swathe of home changes - which hardly helped the flow of the game - as Town ditched the experimental 3-5-2 formation for a conventional 4-4-2.

Still though, they failed to trouble Larrieu, Craig Easton first slightly unlucky with a header after a trademark late dash into the box, before then firing high and wide.

And Sturrock’s Pilgrims wrapped it up in somewhat unusual style as Summerfield let fly from 30 yards and the ball cannoned off first the bar, then the unlucky sub keeper David Lucas and back across the line eight minutes from time.

Wilson, who will send a mixed side including triallists for a match at Cirencester Town on Tuesday, admitted: “It was a typical pre-season game wasn’t it? The tempo wasn’t there, the atmosphere wasn’t there and it was a nothing game in one respect.

“I think we mustered only one chance the whole game and the two goals were scrappy goals, albeit the second was a great strike which went in off the keeper.

“But overall I’m just glad the pre-season is over now.’’