Plymouth Argyle defender Alex Hartridge has said some of the abuse directed at him by a section of Exeter City fans during Monday's Carabao Cup first-round tie "went too far".
Hartridge, 27, was on his Argyle debut when he scored the opening goal in second-half stoppage time, helping his new side to a 2-0 win against their Devon rivals at Home Park. The former Exeter player was targeted by a section of the Exeter City fans, who threw a lighter in his direction during the first half and sang a song that mentioned his family.
Exeter manager Matt Taylor expressed his disappointment over the incident, highlighting Hartridge's dedication and service to the club. "He's someone who has fought his way to having a career in the game, someone who we've worked so hard to get to have a career, someone who's served the club so well and never let us down in terms of when he played for his football club," Taylor said.
Argyle boss Tom Cleverley praised Hartridge's resilience to stay focused and come up with the key moment of the game. "There's one story to come out of this game and it's the guy who used to play for Exeter who got suffered some pretty poor abuse in the first half and then goes and scores the winner," Cleverley said.
Hartridge, who came up through the academy ranks at Exeter before going on to have an eight-year first-team career, downplayed the incident. "It's not nice but it's not for me to react to it and it means nothing really," he said. "The people I love I think are OK and I'll check in on them and make sure that this experience hasn't affected them."
Hartridge's response to the abuse suggests that he took it as a personal validation of his success at Exeter. "The reason why there's that – I guess hatred – from some people towards me is because of the things I've done for Exeter and the opportunities that Exeter has given me as a club and my relationship with people there," he said.
The incident highlights the intense rivalry between Exeter City and Plymouth Argyle, with both teams competing in the same league and division. The Carabao Cup tie was the first meeting between the two teams this season, and the abuse directed at Hartridge is a reminder of the animosity between the fanbases.
Source: Yahoo Sports