- Seb Sternik
- 15 November 2024
Free EFL acca tips: Goals galore in Blackpool, Barnsley momentum, Wrexham test and more...
With the international break taking centre stage, it’s time to shine some light on EFL action from League One and Two.
Nicknamed The Pilgrims, Plymouth play in a distinctive green and white home strip at their ground Home Park.
The club have undergone a massive turnaround in recent years after being relegated to League Two in 2019.
Despite this, they have often spent time bouncing between the second and third tiers of English football.
But after a 13-year absence, Plymouth returned to the Championship for the 2023/24 season.
Early History
Argyle were founded in 1886, with the Plymouth being added to their name in 1903 when they turned professional. In the same year, they entered both the Southern League and the Western League.
Plymouth Argyle won the Western League in 1905 and the Southern League in 1913. They won election into the Football League Third Division in 1920. They finished runners-up across six successive seasons before gaining promotion as Third Division South champions in the 1929/30 season.
They spent 20 years in the Second Division before suffering relegation in 1950. They bounced back two seasons later before being relegated once more in 1956. This yo-yoing was to be a common theme.
Plymouth Argyle legend Wilf Carter
In the 1957/58 season, Plymouth signed one of their club legends, Wilf Carter. He would stay until 1964, scoring 134 goals.
In his first season at Home Park, he scored 32 goals as the club finished third in the Third Division. He fired them to promotion the following season, scoring 25 league goals.
After promotion to the Second Division, Plymouth wouldn't be relegated for another nine years, in large part due to Carter's goal contribution.
More bouncing around
Argyle reached the League Cup semi-finals in 1965, losing to Leicester City. They were to repeat the feat nine years later, losing to Manchester City over two legs.
In 1973, Argyle hosted Brazilian giants Santos FC at Home Park. Despite having Pele in their starting line-up, The Pilgrims notched up a 3-2 win.
Argyle had been relegated to the Third Division in 1968 but secured promotion in 1975 with Paul Mariner as part of the side. He had formed a devastating partnership with Billy Rafferty, with the duo scoring 46 goals that season. The club were relegated again two years later.
In the 1978/79 season, Kevin Hodges made his debut for Argyle - he would go on to appear more times than any other player for the club, 620.
In 1984, Argyle reached the FA Cup semi-finals, beating top tier West Brom and Derby en route. They lost 1-0 to Watford at Villa Park.
Two years later, they secured promotion back to the Second Division.
1990s and early 2000s
In the 1990s, Plymouth bounced around the second and third tiers of English football, much like they had done in previous decades. This was despite Dan McCauley becoming chairman. He also brought in Peter Shilton as player-manager but he was unable to prevent relegation in 1992. Shilton guided Argyle to the play-offs in 1994 but they fell short in the semi-finals, losing to Burnley. Shilton left soon after.
Argyle were relegated to the fourth tier in 1995, but Neil Warnock took over and guided them to promotion the following season through the play-offs. However, they narrowly avoided relegation again and Warnock was sacked.
Relegation back to the fourth tier did happen though and they languished in this division for a few seasons. The appointment of Paul Sturrock as manager in November 2000, when Argyle were in danger of dropping out of the football league altogether, marked a turning point in their fortunes. They finished 12th that season and stormed to automatic promotion the next.
Plymouth were promoted from the third tier in the 2003/04 season, when they drew an average crowd of 12,654. This was their highest since the 1967/68 campaign.
There were a few players who rose as fan favourites during this time. One is Paul Wotton, who made 446 appearances in two spells at Argyle. He also scored 57 goals from a defensive position and won Player of the Season in 2003 and 2005.
Relegations and administration
Plymouth finished 17th and survived somewhat comfortably in their first season back in the second tier (2004/05). They also saw an increase in attendances during their stay in the Championship.
It looked like things were improving for Plymouth, but their flirtation with relegation in 2008/09 marked another change in fortunes. They narrowly survived but finished second-bottom the following season. The effects of their financial problems were felt long before they went into administration but the points deduction did not help as it saw them relegated for the second time in successive seasons. This meant they started the 2011/12 season in the fourth tier.
A takeover did take place and the team's form eventually improved, although they were only two points away from being relegated out of the Football League in 2011/12 and one point off relegation in 2012/13.
Things did pick up but the club wouldn't play higher than the fourth tier until the 2017/18 season after they had been finished in second place in League Two in 2016/17. Attendances had dwindled back down during this period and many fans do not look back at the years between 2011 and 2016 fondly.
Back in the Championship
In August 2018, Simon Hallett became the majority shareholder of the club and three months later he became chairman.
Plymouth were relegated back to League Two in 2018/19 but bounced straight back the following season under the guidance of newly appointed manager Ryan Lowe. They finished 18th in League One in the 2020/21 campaign, with striker Luke Jephcott scoring 18 goals.
They finished seventh the next season - with Lowe being replaced by his assistant Steven Schumacher in December - and looked significantly improved, with their strategic use of the loan market paying dividends.
Their most impressive campaign was the 2022/23 season, which they stormed to become League One champions, picking up 101 points.
However, Schumacher's two seasons at Plymouth came to an end in December 2023 when he left the club to join fellow Championship side Stoke City.
Plymouth dispensed with the services of Ian Foster in April, just three months after he had replaced Schumacher.
The club were sitting just one place and a single point above the relegation zone at the time and that is exactly where they finished after Argyle director of football Neil Dewsnip and first-team coach Kevin Nancekivell guided them to three wins from their last six games, the last of them a 1-0 final-day victory over Hull which kept them up.
In May 2024, former England captain Wayne Rooney took the helm on a three-year deal.
Plymouth Argyle's rivalries
Plymouth Argyle's biggest rivals are considered to be Exeter City as they are the only two professional football clubs in Devon.
During their time in League Two, Plymouth also considered Portsmouth as a rival, while there has been rancour with Burnley ever since the aforementioned defeat in 1994.
Plymouth Argyle's finances
Plymouth Argyle are by no means a rich club and have had to be slightly more strategic than some teams they have shared a league with in the past. Their previous issues with administration have already been mentioned.
The club have been recently renovating their stadium which could hinder them in the transfer market.
Plymouth Argyle's fanbase
In recent years they have averaged around 10,000 home fans. They also have a decent away following and often sold out their allocation in the 2022/23 season.
