Season Preview: Plymouth Argyle looking to build on consolidation of last season

Plymouth Argyle head into the 2021/22 season looking in good shape as they look to improve on last season’s 18th place finish.

Youth and inexperience in key positions was a major problem at Argyle last season. Kelland Watts, Jerome Opoku and Tyrese Fornah all filled in while on loan at the club, but the team as a whole struggled.

The Devon side finished the season with 80 goals conceded, with only Swindon Town conceding more goals.

In February, Ryan Lowe’s side were still in the chase for a play-off spot and were not far off either, but a dismal second half of the season saw the Pilgrims survive with just a few games to go.

Lowe was very clear about what needed to be done to improve on last season and set about his business quickly to make sure the majority of the squad was in place for pre-season.

Transfers

As said above, Lowe was very clear about what needed to be done to improve Argyle this campaign. With 80 goals conceded last season, it would be quite easy for anyone to guess. With loans expiring and other players released, Argyle were left with no centre backs, which when you play with three, leaves a lot of recruiting to do.

Will Aimson, Jarvis Cleal, Klaidi Lolos, Lewis Macleod, Byron Moore, Frank Nouble, Ben Reeves, Jack Ruddy, Rubin Wilson and Scott Wootton were all released. Aimson was the only real player on that list who featured regularly last season, but he was part of a defence that simply wasn’t good enough throughout the season.

Lowe signed Scott Wilson from Ipswich Town, Dan Scarr from Walsall, Macaulay Gillesphey from Brisbane Roar, Brendan Galloway from Luton Town and James Bolton from Portsmouth to make up his new-look defence.

There is still expected to be one new addition to add competition for Scarr in the middle of the back three, but on paper, every signing is an improvement on the player in that position from last season, and now there’s two of them.

Elsewhere in the team, Callum Burton signed from Cambridge United to provide competition for Mike Cooper, Jordan Houghton from MK Dons, who will try to make the defensive midfield role his own, as well as bringing in Ryan Broom on loan from Peterborough, who can challenge Joe Edwards at right wing-back while also providing competition for the right-sided central midfield role.

Another striker is also expected to sign as Luke Jephcott, Niall Ennis and Ryan Hardie are all decent options in League One, but if Jephcott continues to be called up for Wales’ under-21’s, then there will be times when Argyle are left short upfront.

Manager

Ryan Lowe was interviewed by PlymouthLive in response to Argyle selling 6,000 season tickets ahead of the new campaign.

“We are blown away by the support they have given us, even when they didn’t ask for refunds last season. It was a great gesture, especially in a pandemic.

“I think it just shows what we are trying to achieve from top to bottom with everyone involved with the football club.

“If we continue to keep performing on the pitch and keep showing people how good we can be, and the chairman and the board of directors who have been fantastic keep doing their bit, then the football club is only going one way, and that’s up.

“We have all got to buy into that. The fans are buying into it, hence why 6,000 season tickets have been sold, and we would like that to be a little bit more.

“We want to make Home Park a fortress this season, certainly.”

Targets

The main target for this season will be to do better than last season. The squad should be good enough to compete for a place in the top half, and they might even fancy themselves to do better than that.

With the size of some of the clubs, and the budgets of those clubs, it would be wrong to say Argyle should be finishing above them, meaning a mid-table finish is a more realistic target, but Lowe and his squad will be wanting to finish as high up the table as they can.

Key Player

When looking for a key man at Argyle, you would get different answers depending on who you ask. Luke Jephcott, who finished last season as the club’s top goalscorer, will definitely be in the discussion alongside Niall Ennis. Joe Edwards and Conor Grant also played vital roles last season and were key for the Pilgrims.

All of these answers would be valid as all are important players for Argyle, but while the goals and assists may not back it up, many Argyle fans would say Danny Mayor.

Mayor is absolutely crucial for Argyle as he is the player who progresses the team up the pitch, before often playing in the wing-back to put a cross in. The 30-year-old has many teams double up on him as he can make something happen out of nothing.

When the Pilgrims are playing well it is usually because Mayor is playing well. So much of the play runs through the former Bury man and has done for two seasons now. It is unlikely that will change this season, but Argyle fans will be hoping he can finally add some more goals and assists to his name this season.

Youth Prospect

Adam Randell has returned to the club following a loan at National League side Torquay United last season, which saw him claim the Young Player of the Season award at Plainmoor after assisting 10 goals over the season and chipping in with a couple himself.

During his time at Torquay, Randell played as a defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, right-winger and right-back showing he is versatile and a very capable player. His eye for a pass is impressive and he has caught the eye for Argyle in pre-season.

The youngster will have to battle with Jordan Houghton for a place in the team, but this is expected to be the year he breaks into the first team.

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