HOLIDAY TRAFFIC, Mediterranean tempertaures and ten substitutions . . . this had all the ingredients of a pre-season friendly.

But this was not just any pre-season friendly, for Plymouth's players had more than first team places and match fitness to play for.

They were desperate to make the circuitous journey back along the south coast an even longer one for their former manager Paul Sturrock, who would at least have had plenty to occupy his mind as Saints made the trek back to base via the A roads of Devon and Dorset.

His ex-players got what they wanted and what they thoroughly deserved against a Saints side that looked like they would rather be sunning themselves on one of the nearby beaches.

With less than a fortnight to go before the big kick off, that must be a worry for Sturrock.

His players had the lethargic look of a side coming towards the end of a long hard season, not a summer which saw none of the starting XI involved at Euro 2004.

In their defence, the weather was not conducive to flowing football. But Saints'first division opponents were everything that the listless Premiership stars were not.

Sleepy Saints could have been behind long before Mickey Evans opened the scoring against his former club.

With just a few minutes gone Alan Blayney was beaten by a 30-yard strike from Paul Wotton, who struck the base of the far post following a free-kick from the left.

The ball flew back across the goaline and away to safety, but it was the start of an uncomfortable afternoon for Blayney, whose heroics against Newcastle now seem a long time ago.

He could not be blamed for Plymouth's opening goal, a towering header from ex-Saint Evans, who rose high at the far post before planting the ball in the far corner of Blayney's net.

Seven years after scoring four goals in 22 Premiership appearances for Saints following his £500,000 move from Home Park to the Dell in 1997, 31-year-old Evans showed why he remains integral to Plymouth's ambitions following the Pilgrims' double promotion.

Now three years into his second spell with Plymouth, the Irishman is as big a hero in the city as Paul Sturrock was and, to an extent, still is.

As Sturrock and Kevin Summerfield had done prior to kick off, he received a standing ovation from the 10,659 crowd when he was withdrawn midway through the second half.

By that stage the game was drifting towards its conclusion in sapping heat after three Plymouth goals and a 53rd minute riposte from James Beattie.

Centre back Graham Coughlan had given Plymouth a 2-0 half time lead when he headed home from six yards after another Wotton strike from the left had Blayney in trouble.

The ball cannoned off Blayney's chest after Wotton drilled the ball towards a gap at the Irishman's near post. With Saints' defenders stood motionless, Couglan was given the chance to nod a second goal for the rampant hosts.

Moments earlier, Blayney had failed to collect a Steven Milne cross after diving out of his six-yard box and his afternoon got worse when he stood leaden-footed at a Plymouth corner shortly after the break.

No-one else offered a challenge, allowing the dimunitive Milne to pounce at the back post.

It was not all bad for Saints, who have Mikael Nilsson's debut to look forward to this week.

Nilsson, who was an interested onlooker at Home Park, should play against Swindon tomorrow, when the towering Jelle Van Damme should also start after a combative last half hour at left-back.

But it was a home-grown player who gave Saints most cause for optimism against Plymouth.

Martin Cranie provided much-needed brio to the right flank, outshining his elders with a performance that could help win him a starting place at Villa Park.

England under-18 captain Cranie, who impressed when playing out of position on his senior debut at Stamford Bridge last April, can play anywhere across the back four so is certain to at least be on the bench when the new Premiership season gets under way. And he may well start the season at right-back after making an instant impact during the last half hour.

Within two minutes of replacing Paul Telfer, Cranie raced down the right before cutting the ball back for Folly. Beattie tapped home the Frenchman's pass from six yards before he was flagged offside. A goal then would have made it 3-2.

Instead, Beattie's 25-yard free-kick proved to be nothing more than a consolation.