THE DAILY DIARY

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Greens on Screen's Daily Diary is a compilation of Argyle news, with help from these and other Argyle-related sites.

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Also included on the three most recent days, facts from Argyle's history.

Friday 31st March 2023

Matt Butcher has been voted as Argyle Player of the Month for March. During a month in which Argyle won four of their five games, Butcher started and played 90 minutes in each one. Anchoring the midfield as the Greens beat Charlton Athletic, Derby County, Forest Green and Accrington Stanley, Butcher opened the scoring in the last of those games, against his old club. Matt received 42.2% of the poll on Twitter, winning ahead of Macaulay Gillesphey, Ryan Hardie and Jordan Houghton. Upon receiving his award, Matt said: "Thank you to everyone that voted. I've loved the support that the Green Army has given us this season so far. Hopefully our great form continues, and we can finish the season off the way everyone wants it to go!"

30th

In May 2016, just over 34,000 people watched dejectedly as Argyle lost 2-0 to Wimbledon in the Sky Bet League Two play-off final at Wembley.One of them was Jordan Houghton. However, unlike the majority of people in green and white that day at the national stadium, Jordan's seat was not in Wembley's East End, it was on the bench. Houghton, then on loan with the Pilgrims from Chelsea, was just 20 at the time, and as an unused substitute was unable to do anything about the forlorn finale to that otherwise thrilling season. He has since played key roles in promotions for Doncaster Rovers and Milton Keynes Dons and, now aged 27, in the prime of his career, is looking forward to another trip to Wembley, this time as a senior member of the Argyle squad, as the Greens play Bolton Wanderers on Sunday. "I'm one of the old boys now!" he said, self-deprecatingly, while speaking to Argyle TV. "The manager has been pretty keen to keep it as normal as possible. You can't completely keep it as a normal game, because it isn't. It's a big game. In 2016, it probably did feel like more of a bigger occasion because we were getting suited up, little things like that. It put even more pressure, maybe, on the occasion. The things outside of the game, get them sorted early. That helps, as you then just focus on the game. For the lads that have been involved in Wembley occasions, I think it'll be probably more excitement going into it. There's going to be some nerves and it will be down to the senior boys, or the boys that have experienced it before, to help guide the players that might see the occasion as a little bit nerve-wracking. It was my first real – I don't know if you'd say 'achievement', because we lost - but it was the first time that there was a big occasion in my professional career. I'd won the Youth Cup with Chelsea, but that was different. It's not men's football. This was my first season in professional football, men's football, and getting to the final at Wembley, which some players don't even get to play at. I didn't think I was going to make it because I'd got an injury at the end of my loan. I went back to Chelsea and they told me to go on holiday and not worry about the semi-final or final or anything like that, but I was keen to try and give it a go because I knew how much of a big occasion it would be and potentially the only chance that I would get to go to Wembley. It's not a good occasion when you come away losing, which I did and we did. It was a feeling that you don't want to feel. I felt that quite early on in the men's game, but I think that it put me in good stead going forward. It meant that I wanted to be victorious in these games. Thankfully I have come out on top twice with that. Hopefully I will again on Sunday."

Jordan is looking forward to the game, as two sides with promotion ambitions in the regular season lock horns to win some silverware. For the third time in the club's history, the Green Army will head to the capital, should Argyle win a cup competition for the first time in the club's history, they will do so in front of a following of over 38,000. Houghton wants fans to enjoy the day, but says the players have just one thing in mind. "We're going there to win," he said. "It's not just a day out. It's obviously nice for the fans to go, but you are playing at the biggest arena for an English player, the home of football, against a really good side that are going to play good football. We've had some good games against them this season and last season when I've been here. It's a big game. Everyone knows that. We're looking at the ticket sales and it's brilliant to see so many of our fans would be coming up to Wembley – which we knew they would. I'm really looking forward to it and to be backed by 38,000 Argyle fans is going to be something special."

Mick Heathcote. Curtis Nelson. And, soon, Joe Edwards. Just two men have led Argyle out in a match at Wembley Stadium, and should Edwards be selected on Sunday when the Pilgrims meet Bolton Wanderers under the arch, he will become the third. "We know how much the fans love coming," said Joe. "They travel all over England for us. We hoped there'd be a lot of fans there, but being the Papa Johns final we weren't sure if it'd be full. I think we now know, with Argyle, they'll come and watch you no matter what. It's amazing to have that many there. It gives us an added boost going into the game and it's going to make it even more special. Having everyone with us, it'll be even better. It's an amazing day, which we'll be looking back on in years to come. We want to be a successful part of history. It's going to be an immensely proud moment for me to lead the team out. It is something I'll look back and cherish on. If you go there and win it, it makes it even more special."

Joe will be looking back on past experiences to assist him on Sunday. In 2013, he was in the Yeovil Town team that were promoted from League One, beating Brentford in a Wembley play-off final. Now with 177 Argyle appearances to his name, Edwards has played against Bolton five times in the green and white, with Argyle coming out on top in four, and drawing the other. Wanderers are having a good season, though, and boast multiple players with quality, as well as their own formidable fanbase who will be heading to the capital. "We've played them twice already this year, but it could be completely different," said Joe. "Anything can happen in a cup final. It's a different feel to, say, a play-off final. It's a cup final; it's a fantastic opportunity. We've seen the numbers that are going. A play-off final is an end-of-season finale, which has a massive outcome and you've worked all season for it. A cup final is slightly different, albeit you've had to get through the whole of the cup, but it's not the end of the season. It's a one-off game, you have a winner and a loser. It'd be fantastic to win. We're doing everything we can to win. The underlying feeling is excitement. The week is building up nicely. We've got a long week to build up into it, we just want to make the most of it really. We're going there full of confidence and looking to enjoy it."

29th

On Sunday, Callum Burton watched England beat Ukraine 2-0 at Wembley Stadium, and cast his mind forward by a week. This Sunday, Callum and his team-mates will take to the very same turf to play in the Papa Johns Trophy Final against Bolton Wanderers, as Argyle will play at Wembley for only the third time in the club's history. For Callum, it will be a first time playing at the national stadium, and he is aware that is something that for a footballer comes along rarely, if at all. He is, though, channelling an experience as substitute goalkeeper for Argyle at Chelsea last season, in another mass movement of the Green Army to Wembley. "I've never played in a cup final; a lot of the lads haven't," he told Argyle TV. "Everyone came in after a weekend off with an extra spring in their step. It's a big week, but an enjoyable week. Weeks like this don't come along very often in your career, so you have to enjoy it, as well as preparing right. I got excited watching England play at Wembley. When you think that it is seven days before we're there, that gets you excited, thinking that instead of England fans, it's going to be Argyle fans. I've never been there as a player before, but the lads who have said it is a really special day. Walking out at Chelsea last year for the warm-up was special, when we already had about 2,000 fans in. I know it is going to be the same at Wembley. It will be special looking up and seeing your family in the stand, because it could be a once-in-a-career opportunity."

Argyle have played seven games in the run up to Sunday's final, winning four in 90 minutes, and drawing the other three before winning penalty shoot-outs. The games have included times where the club's younger contingent have been called upon, as well strong performances against teams in the same division and, perhaps most memorably, coming from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Wimbledon, then prevailing from the spot. Callum has kept goal in all of them, making crucial saves in each shoot-out, but humbly chose instead to put the focus on his colleagues attempting to put the ball into the net, rather than keep it out. "A benefit of the cup layout is the penalties at the end," he said. "Outside of this competition, it is very rare that you will do a penalty shoot-out. Now we've had three this year, and two last year as well, we've got people with five or six shoot-outs behind them. Taking one in a shoot-out when everyone is focused on you is a completely different feeling. I've been confident going into every shoot-out that we have five or six top drawer penalty takers who back themselves., Every time so far we've been able to win, so I've been proven right. At the start of the season, we said we wanted to go and get to the final. When injuries hit, it became more of a makeshift team, with a lot of young lads coming in, sometimes with six or seven youth-teamers in. It shows how good our academy is, that they came in and showed what they were about. They scored goals that changed games for us. If you had said, at 3-0 down to Wimbledon at half-time, that we'd be getting to Wembley, a lot of us would have laughed at you. But that is what cups are about. We went to pens, and we won. It's been a bit of whirlwind. We haven't lost a single game in this competition – group stages or knockouts. It's been a solid campaign. We've won when we've needed to, we've gone away to hard teams like Bristol Rovers – a tough game, in bad conditions – and found a way to win. We need to do the same on Sunday."

If a cup final and a potential promotion was not enough, Callum welcomed son Hugo into the world earlier this month. "It's been a hectic few months," he said, "but probably the most enjoyable of my life. It's been a special few weeks and months, and it's got the makings of becoming even more special, with the cup final and the run-in. A hat-trick of baby, cup and promotion would make this season the best yet."

23rd

Steven Schumacher looked back on Argyle's win at Accrington and noted that they found a way to grind out a win, despite being frustrated by aspects of the performance at times. Schumacher said: "I don't think we've ever played as badly and won the game. One of the maddest performances I can remember as a coach. It was a bit frustrating, there was hardly any football played. In the first 45 minutes it was a bit of a battle and a fight, which you expect when you come here, it's never easy. In the second half, even when they went down to ten men, I still felt that we made it really hard for ourselves. We could have made the game so much more comfortable, but we found a way – again – to get over the line. We kept another clean sheet, which is great, but it was a crazy performance. No-one remembers how you played, away at Accrington Stanley, on a cold, rainy, windy Tuesday night. They just remember the scoreline. That's all I'm really bothered about. We've played great football this season, and the lads deserve to be top of the league. It's incredible. We've got 80 points, with eight games to go. That achievement is outstanding.

"I'm so pleased for Conor. He's had a really frustrating time. He's been a brilliant player for us and has contributed loads of goals and assists in his time. This year hasn't gone the way he has wanted because of his injuries. He is a brilliant professional, trains really well and looks after himself. When he is ready to step into the team, you have no doubt that he will do a job. At that stage of the game, we needed some experience and calmness on the pitch. That's what he brings, and when he got put into that position, we've seen him score loads of goals like that. I'm pleased for Scarrsy, getting back on the pitch, and another clean sheet for the defensive unit. And I'm pleased for Butch. Coming back to your old club is always a special night. He did well when he played here. Accrington's gameplan was to get in our faces and make it hard, which they did. The early goal makes them go to Plan B. It was so important. We got a big slice of luck, and coming to tough places that is sometimes what you need. I think we got the rub of the green on a few of the decisions, which is not our fault. The red card made it a bit easier, but credit to Accrington, they kept going all the way to the end, and we had to defend our box really well.

"I just can't speak highly enough of our fans. They haven't been treated to a festival of football, but I think they'll be travelling home happy because they've seen the players give 100%. They didn't play great, but they've managed to get three points and a clean sheet on the road. They must be delighted that their team are back on the top of the league."

Conor Grant himself said of his injury comeback: "I'm made up to be back. Just to be back on the pitch in general, but to top it off with a goal is a special feeling. I'm a little bit emotional because of what I've been through, and the road it's taken to get back, but I'm really happy. As soon as you get the call, you go into a zone where you've got to do your job. I knew I had to come on and calm things down. They had a little spell where they were putting quite a lot of pressure on us, even with ten men. We weathered it well, and my instructions were to get on the ball and calm the game down a little bit. As the game opened up, chances were there. We've got a good connection and a good relationship with each other, so I knew as soon as Danny got the ball he would drive and find the perfect weight of pass. All I had to do was run straight, take a touch and drive it across goal. Luckily it went in. It's an unbelievable moment. It's surreal. It's always a bit of a strange game for me because of the connections I have got with John Coleman and John Doolan, the first-team coach. They've gone amazing things for me in my life. I owe them a lot. It's a strange feeling coming onto the pitch against them, but when I cross the white line, the full focus is on my team. I was delighted, but there is a mixture of emotions. At the start of the rehab, I knew it was a long-term injury. You can put it away and focus, but once you start training and building up, each week that passes you are a step closer. In recent weeks I have been in full training and I have felt good, so I wanted to get back on the pitch. Tonight I did, and in the perfect way."

22nd

Argyle kept their winning run intact with a 2-0 victory away to Accrington Stanley. In a mostly convincing display, Argyle took the lead in very strange circumstances, with a deflected strike from Matt Butcher pinging into the net on his old stomping ground. Accrington were reduced to ten men following a second yellow just after the break. The greens battled hard in rainy conditions and put the game to bed late into the second half, with Conor Grant getting a goal on an emotional return to action for the greens after a long injury lay off. The only bad news for the greens was James Bolton limping off injured in the first half of the game. Argyle: Burton, Wilson, Bolton (Scarr), Gillesphey, Mumba (Grant), Houghton (Matete), Butcher, Earley (C Wright), Mayor, Azaz (Ennis), Hardie. Subs: Parkes, T Wright.

20th

Argyle have tended to bounce back from big defeats with back to back wins this season, and Steven Schumacher is planning for that to continue as Argyle head to Accrington for the re arranged Tuesday night game. Schumacher said : "After a good result on Saturday, the confidence should be right there for our players.They'll all be desperate to play and we look forward to the game. We know that every time you go to Accrington, it's always a tough night. We need to make sure we're ready for that. It'll be a similarly tough game, but I think the styles will be completely different because Forest Green came here with a plan on Saturday to sit back and defend in their own half. Every time you play Accrington, they're completely different to that. They are one of the highest pressing teams in the league; they come and get right after you, they're aggressive. I remember in the first game here, for half an hour, they caused us loads of problems and forced us into mistakes. We expect the game like that where they'll get on the front foot. They need to win. They had a tough result on Saturday against MK Dons on, so I'm sure they'll be looking to put that right. When we lost against Peterborough and then won back-to-back home games, we thought: 'come on, we might just get going again' - and then we had a tough day at Barnsley, which stopped that momentum. We won on Saturday, bounced back again and showed brilliant character. If we can back it up with another good result on Tuesday night, then that's great. We've got a little bit of a break then until our next couple of league games, which is over the Easter period, and obviously there's loads of points to play for over that weekend. It is nice to get on momentum and get on a run, but we'll just focus on the one game and take each game as it comes. We know there's only nine left in the league. Every one of them is huge.

"The more players you've got to choose from, the better the options and everyone's then got to be on top of their game. That's the beauty of having a strong squad. We know I've made rotations and have made changes throughout the season, but there's going to be a time where people know that if they play well and keep their shirt, then it's going to give them a massive advantage. If they play well, then we've got a decent chance of winning the game. It's good to have people back. I know there's going to be a few sore bodies, probably, from Saturday's game, so we'll assess that and pick a team that can fight and compete, and try to win at Accrington."

Matt Butcher looked ahead to his return to his old stomping ground, reflecting: "I think they've got new changing room since I last went! It's always nice to go back to see some familiar faces, not just the players, but people from around the club. That'll be nice. I think you'd be lying if you didn't say that you always want do well against people that you've previously been with. Hopefully we can do that as a team. They are fighting for their lives, they're in a difficult position, so our mindset's got to be bang on it because they're the most dangerous when they've got almost nothing to lose. They might have a little bit of a free hit. From playing there, there's no fear going into any game, and I think they're going to take the game to us. They've based their whole club ethic on hard work. If you get that and you get people wanting to do well for the club, which I think they've got and they've had for the last God knows how many years now, you've always got a chance. They're always dangerous, I think. They're not a team to come and sit off. They want to impose themselves and they want to affect the game. Them fighting for their lives is just going to heighten that. We've got to make sure we can stand up to that first and foremost, and then put our own stance on the game after."

Into that last run of games, especially with the cup final coming up. I think we want to go into that week with two wins and really bring that momentum through, keep holding on to that winning in feeling. You often see a team that hasn't been in the play-offs all season come through. Momentum is massive in this league. You've seen it year on year. If we can grab onto that as quickly as possible going into these last games, get the ball rolling, it's a lot easier to keep. It's more difficult when you're going from dropping points to winning points. It's nice to keep that consistent feeling of winning and ticking them off because it's coming to the end of the season and no matter how the performances are, all that we care about now is getting promoted. Even when we've had a result that's not gone our way, we've responded from that every time. I don't think that's by luck. I think that's from the momentum that we've created. It's a lot easier to snap back into that after a performance that hasn't quite gone our way because it's so fresh that we can remember them good times. We've just got to hang onto that and hopefully deal with the task in hand."

19th

Steven Schumacher said that the early goal was critical in Argyle's 2-0 win against Forest Green, stating the difficulty in breaking down a deep line. He assessed: We felt that it might be a game that we might control possession. We expected Forest Green to come with a plan, be organised and be hard to beat, hard to break down. We just felt that if we got ourselves in front, get the lead by showing a bit of quality or score from a set play then we'd be able to control the game. We would've liked to have maybe created a few more clinical chances, but it's hard when teams are defending with 11 men behind the ball. It settled everybody down. It was something that we spoke about yesterday, the set plays. We said this might be a real chance for us to score, considering Forest Green' record this season. Jordan's delivery was outstanding and Bolts timed his run perfectly. It was a brilliant header, it gave us the start we desperately wanted in the game. James Bolton has been brilliant. He's had a frustrating time. He hasn't played the games that he would've wanted to because of the injuries that he's had. He's been unfortunate, but what I will tell you about him is that every single day he's trained with the right attitude. He's come and knocked on my door a few times and said: 'when am I going to get an opportunity?' I think he's earned that chance today and I thought he was probably our man of the match.

"The second goal, just at the start of the second half, helped us give us a little bit more breathing space. It was huge because it was a weird game, with how deep and how organised Forest Green were. It was quite tough to break them down. We said if we could move the ball a little bit quicker, be a bit more adventurous and commit some more bodies into the box, then we'd have a chance. Thankfully Willo stepped in on the outside, ran through and put in a lovely ball, where Bali's in exactly the right place where we need him. He's got some huge goals of this this season, and probably none more so than that because at 1-0, the longer the game goes on, everyone gets a little bit nervous. At 2-0 we thought we had a little bit more breathing space. Our defenders, the goalkeepers and the whole team didn't make any errors, and kept another clean sheet, which is great. We asked for a professional performance, and I feel as though everyone to a man did that today. In the main, we handled the game really well. We've managed to get people on the pitch who needed minutes. It's a good afternoon and we go again on Tuesday, for another big game and one that we go to need to win again."

James Bolton looked back on an emotional first start of the season in League One, talking about the work that lead into his first goal in green. He said: "It was great to do it, get us 1-0 up and to do it in front of the home crowd is great. I've done a bit more coming on and securing games this season. With the team doing so well, it's been hard to get game time. It's great to get a start and help the team out in our push towards a promotion. The goal came at a really good time because we were very nervy for the first 10; we didn't start too great. I think the goal settled us down. It was a great ball from Jordy. We worked on it in training, luckily I just got my head to it and put it past the keeper. We practice set pieces, so it's great to put one in. I think everyone knew what the game meant. Everybody seems to be winning and we've got to keep pushing on ourselves. It was nice to settle it down. We knew they were going to be tough to break down, and they were. They were 11 men behind the ball at all times. I know that the fans were a little bit frustrated at times, but we ask them to bear with us and keep us going because we need them. They are a massive part of what this club's about. They came out again, in big numbers, a sell-out: it's great. It was a frustrating game, but we're happy to get three points."

18th

Argyle strolled to a comfortable 2-0 win over Forest Green, courtesy of a first ever goal for the club from James Bolton. Bolton headed home unmarked from a corner just 7 minutes in and it was another header by Bali Mumba that wrapped up the win two minutes after the restart. It was another clean sheet to make 17 wins out of 19 home games for the greens. Argyle: Burton, Bolton, Wilson, Gillesphey, (Edwards), Butcher, Houghton (Matete), Mumba (Earley), Mayor (Hardie), Ennis (Waine), Azaz. Subs: Parkes, Scarr.

16th

As Argyle's season heads for its final furlong, Maccauley Gillesphey re-iterated the oft-stated importance of taking things one game at a time. He said: "Personally, I think we're in a great position. We're second in the league, still ahead on points. I think it's just 10 big games to go. We need to just win as many as we can, but I think we've got focus on Saturday first and get a win there. We've just got to focus on one game at a time. We have to keep doing what we've been doing all season; try to win as many games as we can and just stick to the plan. Everyone's in the same mindset, really: just concentrating on one game at a time and trying not to make a big thing of it just yet. We go into every game looking for a win. We'll try to do that. I think we've got a good, honest group of lads. Everyone knows that the last game wasn't good enough, all over the park, but we'll look to fix that on Saturday. I think sometimes the expectations are good because it gives you a bit of confidence and you do realise how well the team's done this season. At the same time, it's good to just try to block it out and just crack on with what we're doing. Every game's good at Home Park. It's a fortress and we always buzz off playing at home. In the next few months, the weather's going to be getting better, the fans will be buzzing. It's good, I can't wait."

Steven Schumacher spoke about the novelty of coming up against his former idol Duncan Ferguson who is now managing visitors Forest Green. Schumacher said: "I'm looking forward to seeing him. It's been a little while since I've seen him. He was my hero, my idol growing up. Hopefully we enjoy the game, and we'll have a beer with him afterwards in the cabin. It's not going to be an easy game at all. I know they're at the bottom of the division, but the games I've watched of them, they're in every single game. They always make it hard for the opposition. They should have won at Shrewsbury. They should have won at Morecambe. The only one that got away from them was Ipswich. I know for a fact Duncan's going to have them well wound up, they'll be well ready to come here and put in an organised performance. We need to make sure that we play well and any chances that we get, take them, because we need the three points. In all of the times he took caretaker charge of Everton, that's what his teams looked like. They gave 100%, were always well organised and fought for the shirt. That's the way he was as a player, and I'm sure he'll have his team doing exactly the same. They're not a bad team, I know they are at the bottom of the division, but they're not miles away from it.

"For us to be in the top two with only 10 games to go in the season is a brilliant achievement, but obviously we're not finished there. We're not thinking: 'this has been great, now let's just relax'. We know we've got an objective to try to get to. I remember being asked if I was excited after the first 10 games and I said: 'ask me when there's 10 games left.' We are getting excited. We know we've got an awful long way to go and a lot of hard work to do, but the players have shown all season they are capable of getting big results, so let's just enjoy it. We've had six bad results they seem to get amplified, but we've always dealt with those results and reacted from it. We're never pleased if we lose games of football. But we always come in, assess it, address it and say: 'What's happened? What do we think? Is there anything that we can learn from it? We discuss it as a group and most of the time come out of that room thinking that know what to do to put that one right, which we have done on five other occasions. If we can do the same on Saturday, then that'll be perfect. You're going to lose games of football in the season. We've played 36 in the league and only lost six, so that's not a bad record. For us to be where we are this season, with what we've got, then everyone should be buzzing. I know I am and I know the players are, but we're not finished yet.

"We've got 10 games to go and if we can keep to the levels that we have done throughout this whole of this season, then it's going to be a brilliant one, one that we can remember. We've also got a final at Wembley to play. There's not too much that we need to say as a coaching staff. The players know what the motivation is and they know what the end goal is. If they can keep the performances as high as they possibly can, keep trying to play with that same energy as we have done all season, then we'll be fine."

12th

Steven Schumacher declared his disappointment with a 3-0 loss that didn't do justice, in his view, to how tight part of the game was. Schumacher rued: "We're disappointed, obviously. We came here and felt that we could have got a result. Looking at the first-half performance, I felt that the game plan was what we'd spoken about. We felt that if we passed the ball well enough, to try to play through Barnsley's press. That is also their game. They play with high energy, so if we could pass it through the press, we would be okay. I think we did that in the first half an hour maybe, and looked a threat, but we didn't manage to get ourselves ahead. We said at half-time that the game was there for us. If we could get one up, the first goal was going to be crucial so that if get one chance, then we need to take it. I'm not sure how much energy they had left, but we missed our big opportunity. Ryan missed a brilliant chance, and then they scored not long after. You could see the game change from that moment; they were a better team after that. They had the momentum, the crowd got behind them and then they deserve to win the game.

"I do think that the chance that Ryan had right after half time was critical. I think if he scores, I'm not sure if Barnsley had a comeback in them because I felt they looked a little bit tired in the first half, especially the levels that they have been playing at. We didn't show enough quality to punish them for it. I felt our creative players weren't good enough today. We kept giving the ball away. I lost count of the amount of times we tried to play throughballs that ran through to the goalie. It just wasn't our day as an attacking force. If that is going to be the case, then we might have to just grind it out and defend the box better. We're going to have to address that because we can't go away from home and keep conceding three, four, and five goals. You're not going to win any games if you do that.

"You can't expect anything else if you don't defend your box properly. I felt it was too easy from two throw-ins to get the ball into our box and they punished us twice. Six points out of three games isn't the end of the world. It's the points-per-game tally that you need if you want to get promoted. We won't overreact, but there's something that we might have to look at. A point in this game would've been a great result and would've topped off a brilliant week. We're all disappointed with the result today, but we have got to remember, we've just got six points at home as well. I want to thank the fans again today. The numbers that they turned up in was outstanding. They supported us right the way to the end again, so thanks for that. If someone would have said to us, and all of our fans at the start of the season, that we'd be second and two points clear of Ipswich with 10 games to go in the league, I'm sure we all would have taken it. I won't be too doom-and-gloom; it's just a bad day, and we'll try to win next week."

Jay Matete echoed his manager's words, adding: "I'm disappointed, we're all disappointed. We came here for the three points. I thought in the first half we did alright. We thought that we could have got in a few more times, but we we're still positive. In the second half, the game swung their way, and it was frustrating. We knew it would be a tough place to come, but going into half-time, we shaded it, so we we're in a good place at 0-0, ready for the second half, but it didn't pan out the way we wanted it to. We always seem to react well. We're down at the moment, but we'll pick ourselves up and then next week, against Forest Green, we'll be going for the three points to start another run, and finish the season strongly. Six points out of nine in a week is not bad. We were going for nine, we didn't get it, we move on. We'll try to get maximum points in the last games of the season. We appreciate the support. Some of the fans didn't know if the game would've gone ahead with the snow, but they were brilliant today. Sorry we couldn't bring you the three points, but join us at Argyle on Saturday and we'll go again."

11th

Argyle lost 3-0 at Barnsley in a key promotion battle between two of the top ranked sides in the league. The first half was pretty even and the greens nearly went ahead seconds after the break when Ryan Hardie got in one v one but wasn't able to take it around the keeper. Three goals from the hosts saw Argyle crumble and went back to Devon without points. Argyle: Burton, Lonwijk, Wilson (Mayor), Gillesphey, Mumba, Butcher, Matete (Houghton), Miller (Edwards), Azaz (Waine), Hardie (Ennis), C Wright. Subs: Parkes, Bolton.

9th

Steven Schumacher looked ahead to Argyle's big game at Barnsley, stating that this is just one of twelve cup finals to come. Schumacher mused: "If we get a result at Barnsley, it's a great result. If we get three points at Barnsley, it's been an amazing, punishing week.It seems to me that they've got a settled team, pretty much the same team all the time. They've got some really good players who, as you would expect under Michael Duff, were really well organised when we played them in the first game with the season here. He hadn't been long in the job, so it took him a bit of time to figure out what system he was going to play, I'm guessing, and what the players could do. Now, they're rolling. They've won seven out of nine. The two front players look as though they've come alive and they're always a threat. They've got three midfield players that are very creative for this division and score goals as well. They've got a settled back line. They look really fit and strong. It's got all the makings of a good team. We're going to have to play really well to get a result there. I watched them when they played Derby. They beat Derby 4-1, and we know what a tough game that was on Tuesday night.

"I think all of the games now are going to be big games. There's a lot at stake. After this one, we play teams down towards the bottom end of the division, who'll be fighting for their lives. They're all going to be exciting games; we're just pleased that we're in the mix. We're not sitting in mid-table with nothing to play for. I've been there as a player, where you can't wait for the season to end. It makes preparation a little bit easier. You're not overthinking things. You're going from one game straight into the next, but the players understand how important the games are, against teams who are in the top six and are rivals. They're going to have to perform, which is brilliant. As a player, that's what I would've liked, going into these big games. I'm sure our players are feeling the same. We're looking forward to it. There's a lot of teams – Barnsley are one of them - who are in good form at the moment and seem to have momentum. We would like to get on a run, but we also know that we've got 11 league games to go. We know, sort of, how many wins we're going to need. How they come, we don't really care. If we win five on the spin: brilliant. If we go win-one-lose-one, win-one-lose-one, as long as we get the points that we require, then I'm sure all the teams will be thinking that.We've got 12 cup finals to go this season; that's how it'll feel."

James Wilson expressed his desire thst Atgyle can at least bounce back from their awful performance at Peterborough last time out on the road. The experienced defender said: "Nothing's changing, I don't think. We've just got to do what we've been doing all season and playing our style of football. That's defensively, as well. We always try to play one-v-one against every team we play, whether that's home or away. I think we just have to keep doing the same things and keep our feet on the ground. Any successful team is similar; there is a similar vibe. There are differences between this and other teams I've been in, but it's really enjoyable to be a part of. Everyone involved from the staff to the players, everyone is enjoying the season, so that's a great thing.

"It was a tough week last week, with the away performance at Peterborough. At the end of the game, the fans were still clapping us and that's incredible. Everyone's together. The whole place is together. It was just another great night here on a Tuesday night against Derby. We've had loads of them the last couple of years. It was a great atmosphere after. It says that we're in a good place. There are always going to be tough times in the season, there are going to be bad games. There are tough places to go in this league. But I think it shows a lot of resilience to bounce back like that.

It's a great place to be involved. The city's buzzing. It's really good."

"The manager's got stats on the board of subs coming off the bench. You want everyone to be a part of it and everyone's got to be a part of it. If you want to be successful, the whole squad's got to play a part. It's not always easy, but at the same time it's not easy to react against if you are the other team. We constantly are changing and doing different things. It just throws them off. It gets them on the back foot, and a lot of teams haven't handled that. Barnsley are a team in really good form. They'll be really good. It'll be a tough test. We'll use a squad, we'll go there and be positive like we always are. We'll try to play our way and see what happens."

8th

Steven Scumacher declared his joy at a bouncing Home Park following a spellbounding second half display v Derby, He enthused: "That second half performance, in my opinion, is everything that this club should be about. Fans right behind the team, the team fighting for every ball, passing the ball really well, being exciting to watch and going away with another huge three points. I had full faith in Hardie. He's in really good form at the moment. He's full of confidence and he practices his penalties every day. When he gets them, you're confident that he's going to strike it well, and he did. At this moment in time, you don't want anybody else on it. He's on fire – as the crowd were singing at the end - and long may that continue. I thought we played really well. It took us 10 minutes to get into the game, but once we settled down and actually started passing the ball to a green shirt, then I thought we looked ok. In the first half, we just didn't get enough shots away. We only had three, with 60% possession. We said, second half, if we can move the ball a bit faster and get into that final third, show a bit of quality, then we'd have a chance. For the last half an hour of the first half, we played quite well. We passed the ball well. Things just fizzled out a little bit. We went to a back four, and we got three number tens on, to see if they could deal with the three quality players in there. Thankfully they didn't. We change our shape, Callum scores and gets us back in the game, and then I just felt that we grew in confidence. We felt that if we played with that speed and that tempo, then they were going to struggle to stay with it. They've got a real different balance of a squad.

"They've got older players who get tired late on in the game and real young players, who might get nervous, so we took full advantage of it. We believed that if we keep playing at that tempo that we did, and the lads put in that effort, then we felt we'd have a bit too much energy for Derby tonight, and thankfully we did.

"They are getting excited; selling out every week says that. What we can be most pleased about tonight, in particular, is that even though we go behind, I didn't feel as though anyone was on the players' backs. They still kept trying to support because they've seen us do that before, where we've been behind, figure it out at half time, try and do something about it, and the players have gone out there and executed again."

Callum Wright spoke about his game changing appearance from the bench, stating the impact he was able to have on the game, explaining: "I felt like we needed runners. I felt Derby would've struggled with the runners in behind them, to help Ryan. I was watching and thought 'I could impact, here: Finn and Danny are getting on the ball, I can run off them'. And I got a goal from it! I knew the defender would come sliding over. I was just hoping to hit it under him and it's just right them under and it would either go through or be blocked. Luckily enough it got through and into the back of the net. We were on top, and when the crowd are at you like that, it's tough. It's a tough place to come anyway, so as soon as we have the crowd on top of them and we were on top of them, it was going to be a tough last 20 minutes for them. The atmosphere was great, the fans really came and to get the win and three points against Derby was massive. A perfect night really. It's the top end of the table and these clashes are going to come in the season. That's why I came here; that's why the Gaffer's brought me in. I just want to keep impacting them, play a part in them. We've got Wembley coming up and a big end of the season, hopefully we can kick on and keep pushing. We're relentless and we're not going to stop here. We're going to keep pushing and keep going. It's another big game on Saturday at Barnsley away. We've got 11 games left and we haven't achieved our goal yet."

The week of good news continued with the news goalkeeper Mike Cooper has extended his deal by one year to the summer of 2025. Despite his injury, club and player have agreed to secure his Home Park future. Cooper said it was a no brainer of a decision, enthusing: "I'm very happy. Putting another year on to my current contract after the past few weeks means a lot to me. I'm just really happy to get it done so quickly after the actual offer. It gives me a lot more security and the ability to focus on my rehab for the next few months without having to worry about contracts or anything like that. I was more than happy to get it done. It means a lot. I joined in 2009, it's 2023 now - that length of time speaks volumes. You know the love I've got for the place, the fans, the staff. There are so many people that have been there for me throughout the years, all the way from under-9s until now. It's been a mad journey so far and to extend my contract is a really nice feeling. "Now it's three weeks since the operation, and I'm doing really well. I'm surprised at how much I've been able to do. It's nice to get the lungs going and do some upper body as well. Not long until I can really start progressing with getting some strength back in my leg. I'm starting to see the swelling go down in my knee, which is nice. I've just got to take it week by week. I keep looking back every Monday to where I was, and the slight improvements I keep making is really nice mentally. I'm not pushing it, but making sure I'm progressing. I'm just grateful to be in the position I'm in now, despite the adversity, and I'm looking forward to taking everything step by step."

Steven Schumacher added: "It's a no brainer for us. He's come through our Academy, the Academy has played a huge part in his development, and he has become one of our best players. Michael getting his injury when he did, he only had 18 months left on his contract. I felt it was good business for the club to secure that asset, and for Michael to be recognised. We wanted to look after him and help him in his recovery process.We know that when he is back, and he will be back soon, he's the best young goalkeeper in the country."

7th

For the fourth time this season in front of the sky cameras alone, Argyle came from behind to get a fantastic victory, this time against Derby County, securing the double over the rams in the process. The visitors took the lead after a fortuitos bounce off Callum Burton, and they took that into half-time. Some inspired substitutions made the difference for Argyle with Jay Matete and Callum Wright particularly impressive, the pair combining for the latter to slot home. Argyle then were awarded a penalty after a trip on Finn Azaz which Ryan Hardie cooly slotted home. Argyle; Burton, Wilson (Bolton), Lonwijk, Gillesphey, Edwards (Wright), Butcher, Houghton (Matete), Mumba, Mayor (Miller), Hardie, Azaz (Ennis). Subs: Parkes, Waine.

6th

Steven Schumacher looked ahead to the crunch game against Barnsley, stating the importance of resilience, and not resting on the laurels after the encouraging win against Charlton. Schumacher said: "The way that the players have responded and the way we've reacted, getting 13 points from the five games right after the five defeats. That's a really good record and it shows that we don't dwell on things. The odd bad performance that we have had has been maybe a blip. We put in a good performance on Saturday, but that's gone now and we need to make sure that our standards are right for Tuesday night because Derby County are coming here as one of the best teams in the division. I can't see there being too much comparison from the other game. They're completely different now because Paul Warne went in a couple of games after that. What I do remember from that game is that we were really good on the day. Even though we went in 2-0 behind, I remember going in at half-time thinking: 'we're still in this game'. Thankfully, we had enough in us to go and get three goals in the second half. Sam Cosgrove scored two late on, which was a brilliant start for him, on his debut. It was a good day, that one. Now, they have a completely different sort of style and we know what Paul Warne's teams are always like. They're always super fit, really well organised and, since he's been in there, they've been on an upward trajectory. Against a strong Derby County squad, everyone's got to be on top of their game. They've got so many good players and such a strong squad. We have to forget about all of that. Forget about starting a run, just focus on trying to win this next game. It's a really good record, and it's one we're really proud of. Everybody plays their part in it. The players, first and foremost, are going out and performing to get us the amount of points that we've had. The fans play a huge part in it. They are coming in and backing us, sticking with the team. We've rewarded them with points. A lot of teams don't really like coming down here, so we have to take advantage of that and get as many points as we can. People forget we have to travel so far every other week, sometimes twice in the same week. That takes a lot out of you. The points that we can get away from home are massively important, but it's even more important that we get as many as we can here.

"We know where our strengths are. When we get it right here at home, we play with a real good tempo, a good energy and try and get on the front foot and get some atmosphere going. We're a hard team to stop, we've got quality players. If they're on it and they're playing to their best, then we can cause teams problem here. It's not easy in every single home game, but somehow we've managed to find answers, and we've got 15 wins out of 17, which is a brilliant record; one that most teams in the country would be really proud of."

Bali Mumba also looked ahead to the game, adding: "We've got the home crowd behind us, pushing us. I think that's the main reason. When you've got the noise behind you, the support that we have here, it's that extra boost that you need on the pitch to help you just push that a little bit more. This is the first experience I've had where a team at home are so good and really dangerous when they play at home. You've always got that confidence when you're at home. You've got that confidence already knowing that this is your home turf. Teams should be coming here and finding this place tough to be able to take all three points from you. When a home game's coming up, you're rubbing your hands and looking forward to it and knowing that. We know what we are like at home. The pressure's on, but hopefully we don't disappoint and we'll get three points. It's the best season in my career. It's definitely one to remember. As you can see, I'm always smiling. Sometimes it's hard to sort of take it in in the moment, because there's so many games happening and you're so focused. Now and then, when you sit back and you realise the work that the boys have put in, the position that we're in, and I feel so lucky and feel so special. Hopefully, fingers crossed, come the end of the season, I'll be able to cherish it and enjoy it more."

5th

Steven Schumacher spoke with pride of the revival win against Charlton, He also explained the rationale behind his substitution choices in the game. He said: "I'm pleased with the result; that was the most important thing today, because we got beat last week. We felt we didn't play well enough last week in all areas of the game. It was important to get back to winning ways, but I was more impressed really with the performance today. I thought we played really well. We defended well, got on second balls, did all the basics better than last week. We created some big chances and felt we should have had a stonewall penalty right before half-time. Somehow, Ryan manages to them to score as soon as the whistle went in the second half, which makes us all feel a bit better. He closed the ball down, had an unbelievably touch, then did what he does, which is slot it away. We just kept going. I thought we played the same in the second half, as we did in the first half, we were probably the stronger team and deserved the three points.

"I think their substitutions were at a good time for them, because we looked like we were just on top. We were considering making a change - Callum Wright for Danny Mayor - on 60 minutes, but I said to hang fire for 10 minutes because we were playing well and we looked like we were going to score the second goal, then it might have been all over. Dean made his changes and then that slowed down our momentum a little bit. We had to figure out what shape they were playing in, and see what they were doing with their four attacking players on the pitch. A few minutes after their changes we made ours, then we got back on top again. When I've got good players who come off the bench, like Niall, Sam Cosgrove and Callum Wright, it gives you a good chance to win the games. I'm pleased Niall slotted one away because you think at 1-0 they would've probably got one big chance. We had to make sure we dealt with this game first and now we go into huge games against two teams who are in the top six as well. They are going to be doing everything we can to stop us. We enjoy that challenge because it'll be open, and it will be two teams trying to win. It's going to be exciting. I can't wait for Tuesday."

Matt Butcher stated similarly that Argyle's strength is in their depth, adding: "I think that's been a strength of our season," said midfielder Matt Bucther, who had an excellent game in the heart of Argyle's midfield. Every time we've had a bad result or a bad performance, we've put it right the next week. I think that's credit to the group. The other games we've lost, we've found a massive response. We were going back to that and going back to what we good at. We've always scored goals at home, bar the kind of last couple, so it's just remembering what we'd done for the majority of the season. Whoever plays has been brilliant when they've come in. Brendan Galloway today, for example, was excellent, after a long period of not playing. That performance and result was massive. We talked at half-time about starting quickly," said Butcher. "I don't think any of us expected to start that quickly! Ryan's done great, especially after [what happened just before] at half time. It can always be tough as a striker when you get a chance like that and get one taken away from you, to show that response and put himself in that position again and take the chance. I thought it was an excellent finish. He did great all game. He got onto so many throughballs, made some really clever runs, and obviously took his chance at the end.

"We are going to create, and we've done it all season here. We've scored loads of goals here. If we can take the chances that we do create, especially early on, then it puts us in such a better state for the rest of the game. It opens up the game massively. After the first goal, they had to come and get after us a bit and I think that suited us more. We got more and more joy as it went on. We've got three games this week. That was a good start, and we can take momentum into the week."

4th

Argyle returned to winning ways against Charlton with a comfortable 2-0 win in which Callum Burton was hardly tested in the Argyle nets. The greens edged the first half but did not have many clear opportunities at goal.It only took however, 9 seconds after the interval for the greens to get ahead. Ryan Hardie took the ball through the Charlton defence and scooped it over the goalkeeper. Niall Ennis doubled Argyle's lead with three minutes left of normal time. Argyle: Burton, Wilson, Gillesphey, Galloway (Lonwijk), Edwards, Houghton, Butcher, Mumba (Earley), Mayor (Wright), Hardie (Cosgrove), Azaz (Ennis). Subs: Parkes, Matete.

3rd

Finn Azaz has spoken about the need for resilience after Argyle's tough loss at Peterborough and set his sights on a good response for the visit of Charlton Athletic. Azaz said: "We've had some time to get over the loss. It was a tough, tough game, but now all eyes are on Saturday. I think when the games come on a Tuesday it's easier, because there's another game quickly. When there's a week it can be tough. There's a saying, that you don't lose two on the bounce. No-one's panicking. We'll stay calm and we'll be fine. We'll just do what we have done; move on and prep for the next game. It's not like a big narrative; it's more so just how we are as a group. We know it's a big three games in the next week," he said, "but we'll thrive off that. I love it. Two games at home, on the bounce, is great. You have to keep reminding yourself not to take it for granted. Literally selling out every game, selling out Tuesday nights, selling out on the weekends."

"You know that there's only a certain amount of time left in the season. You know there's only a certain amount of games. You try and keep your mentality to that as best you can, but it's tough. We're not really reflecting on the position now. We don't really think about the outside narrative too much, that can sweep you up and affect your performances. We just know that we believe we are one of the best teams in the league. We want to live up to our potential and be where we should be."

Steven Schumacher also referenced the importance of bouncing back in his preview of the game, reminding fans that there is a reason that Argyle are top of the league. He said: V="It's important that you put it away quickly. You can't dwell on one bad performance or one bad result. It's important to also that you go over it and figure out what went wrong, which we did with the players. We had a good chat on Tuesday and went through the clips, spoke about where we could have done better. But I also showed them that we did some good things in the game. We played some half-decent attacking football, we had more penalty box entries than Peterborough, more final-third entries than Peterborough, but we didn't make the most of them. That's probably another reason why we are in where we are in the league, at the top end of the division, because we've shown that ability to not dwell on it, not let it fester for too long and to try to put it right in the next game. If we show a reaction, learn from our mistakes from last week and get the game plan right, then hopefully we can get another good result and get a few more points on the board.

"We will watch that game back again, to go over their players, figure out what their strengths are, what they do when they get the ball and where they go. I know they've got a different manager who is playing a slightly different style, but the players are still the players and have still got their threats. I watched them against Peterborough on Tuesday night. They played each other and played out a 0-0 draw with all those attacking players on the pitch. It's just mad. The season's mad. We're going to have to do better defensively against Charlton because if we don't defend better, if we don't play better as a team, then we'll get punished again. We haven't got Tyreik Wright available, because he's got a bit of a calf issue. That's why he wasn't available at the weekend. Adam Randell is still not available. It's important we try to get off to a good start and look at Saturday's game first," said the boss. "We need to get a result, get a performance, then we've got a massive game against Derby County and then another tough one against Barnsley. We spoke last week that it was important to have a clear week and gets some time for the players to rest and refresh. We're going to have to use all our energy and all our quality again over the next few games because they're all hard. We're confident that if we play well, play to our standard, then we can take some good points from them all."

Plymouth Argyle director Michael Mincberg and his brother David have led an investment group which has completed the purchase of Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv. David Mincberg told the media at a Press conference in Tel Aviv that he and his brother were 'looking to invest in sports all over the world'. There has already been an unconfirmed report of Argyle playing a friendly against Hapoel in Israel this July."

1st

A permanent home for the Argyle Academy has been secured in the heart of our city thanks to a new investment. Argyle, the Argyle Community Trust, Plymouth City Council, Plymouth Albion RFC and Devonport Community Leisure Ltd (DCLL) have struck a deal which will see £21m invested in rejuvenating the under-utilised Brickfields site in Devonport, with a focus on community health, wellbeing, and raising aspirations. As part of the plans, Argyle will provide an eight-figure investment towards the project, which will see wholesale redevelopment of Brickfields to install new facilities for our ambitious youth Academy, including a covered pitch and other amenities which are of the standard required to apply for Category 2 status in the future.

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