Season Review: Consolidation but disappointment for Argyle side that could have achieved more

It was a season of consolidation for Plymouth Argyle who finished 18th in League One, after they were promoted on points per game at the end of the curtailed 2019/20 season.

The Pilgrims spent much of the season floating around in midtable between the upper stages and the lower stages but never really looked likely to threaten the promotion picture, or in danger of relegation.

While some will be disappointed that Argyle did not finish higher, survival and a run to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, is not a bad overall campaign for a newly-promoted League One side.

That said, given it has been a season without fans in attendance, and that Argyle had the second worst defensive record in the league, conceding 80 goals, and the third worst away record in the league, picking up just 16 points on the road, it is not likely to be a season looked back on too fondly by the Green Army.

Key Games

September 19, 2020 – AFC Wimbledon 4-4 Plymouth Argyle

While only the second league game of the season, this match highlighted the defensive frailties which would go on to plague the season for the Devon club. Argyle twice took the lead in the first half but found themselves 4-2 down with 20 minutes to play. It was a great effort to rescue a point from that position, but the point only papered over the cracks.

December 19, 2020 – Plymouth Argyle 1-0 MK Dons

After a run of five consecutive defeats, including a humiliating 5-1 defeat at Fleetwood Town, a 4-0 home defeat to Rochdale, and a 3-0 away defeat at Bristol Rovers, Argyle finally managed to grind out a win and keep a clean sheet in the process.

Ryan Hardie also managed to bag what was only his second league goal of the season at that point, which many hoped would spur him on to hit the form he found during his loan spell of the previous season, but that proved not to be the case.

January 19, 2021 – Sunderland 1-2 Plymouth Argyle

Argyle picked up their first away league win of the season at the Stadium of Light in January in what felt like it could be a turning point in the season. After the game Argyle were just six points off the play-offs, and if Lowe’s side had been able to put a run together away from home they could have gone on to challenge for the top six.

February 9, 2021 – Accrington Stanley 0-1 Plymouth Argyle

Given Argyle had won away from home this was surely a positive result? The result was positive, but this game saw January arrival Niall Ennis start for the first time after impressing from the bench against Portsmouth, and against Accrington at Home Park just 10 days prior.

Ennis scored the only goal of the game as Argyle beat Accrington Stanley. Why was this significant? Ennis’ arrival meant that the partnership between Ryan Hardie and Luke Jephcott, which had been so successful in the first half of the season, was rarely played again in the second half of the season.

Despite all three strikers showing good performances, neither Hardie or Jephcott looked to have built a good partnership with Ennis, and Argyle won just four matches after this point.

March 2, 2021 – Northampton Town 2-0 Plymouth Argyle

Having beaten Lincoln City 4-3 at home on the Saturday before this Tuesday night game Argyle would have come into this game high on confidence, and hoping they could get a win against a struggling side to keep them in touching distance of the play-offs.

But things didn’t quite go to plan. A goal in each half by Ryan Watson saw Argyle comfortably beaten, a defeat which started a run of five consecutive defeats, including one against another struggling side in Wigan Athletic.

Key Transfers

The permanent signing of George Cooper gave many Argyle fans optimism heading into the season, as well as the returning loan signing of Ryan Hardie, both of whom had impressed in 2o19-20. Neither managed to hit the heights hoped however, with Cooper missing the majority of the season through injury, while Hardie struggled to find the net.

Ben Reeves and Lewis MacLeod both looked like good additions on paper, though neither managed a consistent run in the side and have both since left the club.

January signing Niall Ennis impressed at times after his arrival, but his final goal tally of six goals in 24 appearances was a disappointing figure given how his time at the club started.

Key Players

Coming into this season Joe Edwards and Conor Grant probably didn’t expect to play such key roles with neither having managed to hold down a place in the starting line-up in League Two the previous campaign.

Edwards did play regularly, but he didn’t nail down a position, he was sometimes used in central midfield, but Tyreeq Bakinson took that spot after January, and he was often overlooked in favour of Byron Moore on the right, while Grant had made just 1o starts in the league. This season, however, was a totally different story.

Grant and Edwards have been mainstays in the side largely playing at wingback on either side, and have finished as the top two in Argyle’s Player of the Season vote.

Former Everton midfielder Grant scored four goals and assisted 13 in all competitions, while Edwards scored seven assisting two.

The goals are probably what ultimately clinched the Player of the Season award for Edwards, but in that case young striker Luke Jephcott will have been unlucky to miss out as well, having scored 18 goals in all competitions.

Jephcott’s problem was, almost all of his goals came in the first half of the season. After scoring a brace against Portsmouth in February the 21-year-old failed to find the net again, as mentioned above though, he had built up a good partnership which then rarely got used after that game.

Another key player for Argyle this campaign has been goalkeeper Michael Cooper. Argyle may have conceded 80 goals, but if not for Cooper it could have been higher still. The system Ryan Lowe plays is always likely to give other teams chances, and the 21-year-old rarely had a settled defence in front of him. When he did, Argyle generally did well defensively.

Cooper was named Argyle’s Young Player of the Season and recently signed a contract extension.

Season Verdict

Many Argyle fans will be disappointed with how the season petered out when they were in such a good position in February to challenge for the play-offs, but if offered survival and a good cup run last summer many would have taken it.

Argyle are in a good place to build for next season and try to do more than just consolidate, so although this season may ultimately be looked back on with a bit of disappointment, with the right recruitment it could have provided a good platform for the Pilgrims to challenge higher up next season.

Next Season?

Ryan Lowe has already said that next season he wants to be challenging in the top half, Argyle were pushing for the play-offs at times this season, before tailing off with just three wins and three draws in the final 18 matches.

Securing the futures of out of contract players Conor Grant, Joe Edwards and Danny Mayor would give Lowe a solid core to build around, with Luke Jephcott, Ryan Hardie, Niall Ennis, George Cooper, Michael Cooper and Panutche Camara already contracted, as well as Adam Randell who will return from Torquay United, and youngster Brandon Pursall.

However, a lot will depend on the defence that Ryan Lowe can bring in, with no senior defenders contracted going into the summer.

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