SEASON

2002-2003

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MANAGER: Paul Sturrock 1.

PLAYER OF THE SEASON: Paul Wotton.

DEBUTS: Hasney Aljofree, David Beresford, Paul Bernard, Tony Capaldi, Osvaldo Lopes, Nathan Lowndes, Stuart Malcolm, Kieran McAnespie, David Norris, Stewart Yetton.

FINAL GAMES: Paul Bernard, Joe Broad, Osvaldo Lopes, Stuart Malcolm, Kieran McAnespie, Brian McGlinchey, Craig Taylor.

LOANS: Tony Barras (Walsall), Danny Milosevic (Leeds), Grant Smith (Sheffield Utd).

SEASON SUMMARY: After the highs of the previous season’s title win, consolidation was very much the name of the game. Another busy summer preceded the kick-off as the Argyle Lounge was refurbished along with the Green Room and the executive boxes. Pilgrims Way was also unveiled, while John McNulty took over from the outgoing David Tall as Chief Executive. [Click for more]

SEASON SUMMARY: After the highs of the previous season’s title win, consolidation was very much the name of the game. Another busy summer preceded the kick-off as the Argyle Lounge was refurbished along with the Green Room and the executive boxes. Pilgrims Way was also unveiled, while John McNulty took over from the outgoing David Tall as Chief Executive. Much of the pre-season was once again spent north of the border, where the Pilgrims secured three wins from four games, while visits to Home Park from Charlton and Nottingham Forest kept the non-travelling locals happy. Plymouth City Museum hosted The Beautiful Game - Argyle in Action exhibition, showcasing items of memorabilia from across the years.

On the playing front, Beswetherick left for Hillsborough, while Gritton moved to Torquay. Last season’s squad was trusted to cope with the step up as new signings were kept to a minimum, with Beresford, Malcolm and Lowndes the only arrivals ahead of a fourth successive opening-day defeat, this time at Mansfield. The doom and gloom merchants prophesied a difficult campaign ahead despite the bookies making Paul Sturrock’s side third favourites for the title behind Wigan and Cardiff. Sadly, a few knuckle draggers reappeared for the early Home Park skirmishes, Bristol City in particular deemed worthy of their ire. The new telephone and ticketing system took a little while to get up to speed, but on the pitch Argyle were happily sat in second place by the end of August thanks to some decent home performances.

Crystal Palace essentially earned themselves a bye by drawing and then beating Argyle in the Worthington Cup, the second game of a run of nine consecutive matches without a win as the early-season glow faded and reality kicked in. Reinforcements were added in the shape of Aljofree and Lopes, while David Norris arrived on loan from Bolton, scoring the winner in an unexpected victory on the road against high-flying Crewe. There were problems aplenty, however. Goals from the front men were not flowing, with Stonebridge becoming the first regular striker to score since the opening day when he netted against Wigan in mid-October. A goalkeeping crisis loomed with Larrieu injured and McCormick out of form. Luggy brought in Milosevic on loan, but he was battered into submission against a physical Oldham side, the Australian leaving Home Park on a stretcher. Argyle’s fortunes slowly turned as they embarked on a nine-match unbeaten run in the league, which included a win at bogey ground Vale Park and a 4-1 thumping of Stockport, who aided the Pilgrims’ goalscoring struggles as the luckless Goodwin found his own net twice. Norris signed permanently, while Barras joined on loan as Sturrock looked to build on the momentum gained.

A pair of 3-0 wins against Bury and Stockport saw Argyle progress to the third round of the FA Cup, where they succumbed to Dagenham & Redbridge in a replay in front of the Sky cameras. Former Pilgrims Bob Warren and George Dews passed away either side of Christmas, while another change behind the scenes took place with John Britton announced as the new Commercial Director.

Argyle’s age-old inconsistency reared its head again as winter seemed to turn reluctantly to spring, never more clearly demonstrated than when the Pilgrims battered Peterborough 6-1 at home only to lose at lowly Chesterfield just a few days later. A 1-0 win at Wigan lifted spirits given that the hosts sat 14 points clear at the summit of Division Two and would go on to win the title by the same margin. The Reserves competed well in the Avon Combination League, while the under-19 team won their regional competition. On the women’s side of things, Argyle won the Devon County Cup, beating Torbay 3-0 in the final. Goalkeeper Becky Picken was invited for England under-15 trials, while in the under-12s a certain Heather Knight was catching the eye with her sporting prowess long before the days when she would make her mark on English cricket.

A 3-0 win at home to Brentford was witnessed by the reunited 1958-59 squad, loanee Grant Smith adding to Marino Keith’s brace. David Friio signed a new contract as the season began to draw to a close. Paul Wotton received recognition as he passed 100 consecutive appearances, an achievement as uncommon as a failure from the penalty spot for the skipper, who missed in a 0-0 draw at home to Colchester, where visiting keeper McKinney wore an old Argyle shirt due to a kit clash. A pre-season tour to Austria was announced to give the Home Park faithful something to excite them over the quiet summer months.

An eighth-placed finish probably left the majority underwhelmed. On their day, Argyle looked as though they could cope with anyone in the division, but too many points dropped against teams in the lower reaches of the table ultimately cost Luggy’s side a crack at the play-offs. Few could argue that a second successive promotion would probably have arrived too soon for the team in its present state, but there were enough signs to suggest that with a few tweaks, more success could follow. It was a time for patience.

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