PLYMOUTH Argyle boss Tom Cleverley hailed a “complete performance” as his side secured their first Sky Bet League One victory of the season with a convincing 2-0 win over Bradford City at Home Park on Saturday.

Goals either side of half-time from Julio Pleguezuelo and Harvey White saw the Pilgrims claim all three points against a Bradford side who had won their opening two league games without conceding.

Naturally, Cleverley was delighted with the way Argyle controlled the contest, particularly after addressing defensive concerns earlier in the week.

“It was about as complete as you can get,” he said. “Football is about what you do in two directions, not only what you do from an attacking perspective but from a defensive one as well.

“To reduce a top, effective side like Bradford to four shots, no shots on target, I’m so, so proud. It’s something we have got to take forward with us.”

Argyle had conceded eight goals in their opening four matches in all competitions, although four of those came against Premier League side Coventry City in the Carabao Cup.

Cleverley admitted his defenders and goalkeepers had been challenged to respond.

“We had an honest talk with the defenders and goalkeepers this week and their response was outstanding,” he said.

The Greens made their intentions clear from the outset, with White’s early sliding tackle setting the tone. The summer signing from Stevenage required treatment following the challenge, but quickly returned to action and went on to double Argyle’s advantage with his first goal for the club.

Cleverley said the midfielder’s approach was exactly what was required against a Bradford side renowned for their intensity.

“Bradford are more than just aggressive in duels and the high intensity, they are probably the best in the league at it,” he said. “To set the tone, to take the game to them, knowing they had not conceded a goal all season, we needed to get on the front foot.

“He came out with a little bit of a sore one but that showed the application we were going to put in there today. I thought we really got on top of the game from early and stayed there.”

White’s performance was complemented by Tyreeq Bakinson, with the pair forming an effective partnership in central midfield.

“Harvey will probably get the headlines with a fantastic strike,” Cleverley said. “But I thought Tyreeq didn’t put one foot wrong today and helped us get control of that game with the ball.

“They complement each other well, it’s a nice emergence of a midfield pairing when Malachi (Boateng) has got a lengthy injury.”

Argyle opened the scoring in the 44th minute when Pleguezuelo volleyed low into the net after Bradford failed to clear Oli Irow’s cross. The goal came from an improvised set-piece after Argyle’s original plan for Alex Hartridge to deliver a long throw was disrupted by the new time-wasting rules.

“The countdown started before Alex Hartridge got there, which was strange,” Cleverley said. “It ended up playing in our favour. It was a little bit of chaos we created.

“Something that we maybe didn’t do today was show calmness in front of goal, and our Spanish centre-half showed everyone how to do it.”

The victory leaves Argyle with four points from their opening three league matches.