Pilgrim's Progress

Plymouth Win Community Shield

Plymouth Argyle won the season charity opener, beating Aston Villa 4-0 at Wembley Stadium and, in the process, laying to rest what had become a bogey side for them.  Last season, Argyle played Villa four times and lost every one – twice in the league, in the Carabao Cup quarter final and in the FA Cup final.

“It’s good to finally beat what had become a bit of a bogey for us,” said manager Bobby Stones.  “We know it’s a friendly, but there was a piece of silverware at stake, so at least we’ve won something this season!”

Farias Scores on Debut

The game was also notable for a brace from Facundo Farias, who was playing his first match since signing at the very end of July.  “It’s a perfect start,” said the manager.  “I expect great things of him.  He’s going to be very important for us.”

Angulo Out for 3 Months

Senior centre back Jesus Angulo has broken his toe and will be out for 3 months, in a blow to the club.  Angulo is the most experienced centre-back at the club and his leadership at the back is likely to be keenly felt.  “The other players will just have to step in,” manager Bobby Stones said.

Good Start for Argyle

Plymouth Argyle are third in the table at the end of August, after two wins and a draw.  The draw was on the opening day against Newcastle; an eventful match that saw ex-West Ham goalkeeper Ignacio Valencia save a penalty in only the 3rd minute on his debut for the Pilgrims, and Facundo Farias sent off for a ‘centre-forward’s tackle’ in the 88th minute.  The club felt lucky to come away with a point.

A straightforward home win against a powder-puff Manchester United followed, which saw Rayan Cherki run the show, score two and assist another.  United had most posession but only two shots.

A hard-fought win at Palace rounded the month.  This match saw Yago Carillo break a toe, meaning he joins Angulo in the treatment room for the next three months.

Haha, from hero to zero. Farías scoring a brace in his debut, then getting sent off in game number two.

Champions League Debut Thrills

Historic Walk Out at Home Park

Plymouth Argyle played their very first Champions League tie at their own ground, and it turned out to be a thriller.  The home side raced into a 3-0 lead, through a brace from Rayan Cherki and a third from Adam Hlozek, by which point the Pilgrims looked to be coasting.  Cherki had the honour of becoming the first ever Champions League goalscorer for Argyle.

Cherki Makes History

They didn’t account for Sevilla’s experience at this level, though, as a second-half fightback saw the Spanish side run out 4-3 winners.  “It’s a good lesson for us at this level,” said manager Bobby Stones.  “There are gears to move up to that we previously didn’t know about.”

Otherwise, Argyle moved top of the table on goal difference, with comfortable wins over Spurs and Leicester City, and a tougher match against Brentford.  The home side struggled to break down a stubborn Brentford side that mysteriously left ex-Argyle Luis Chavez on the bench.  Kobbie Mainoo finally broke the defence on the cusp of half-time, as Stones subbed his two strikers at the break.  That did the trick, as the two subs – Gomez and Rodrigues – both found the net in the second half.  Argyle rounded the month off with a huge Carabao Cup win against a strange Chelsea side, who simply gave up at 3-0. 

Argyle therefore lead Arsenal in the Premier League on goal difference, with Liverpool and Chelsea close behind.

None of the Plymouth players feature in the golden boot currently, as Stones has been rotating because of the busy schedule.

Rayan Cherki tops the Argyle scoring chart, his excellent start making him a firm favourite with the fans, so soon after joining.  He shares top spot with Adam Hlozek, in terms of goal involvements, with seven each.

In late news, Dan Gore completed a deadline day switch to Swansea City for £1.3 million.  He leaves with the club's best wishes.

Whoa, 3-0 up vs Sevilla, then conceding 4 to lose the game. Awful. The manager takes it lightly, I guess. At least in public... What are the other clubs in the group? Don't know if I missed that?

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@CO88LER5 wrote:
The other two teams are PSG and Sparta Prague.

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We have Sparta in common then, as the Prügelknabe in my group, and I expect them to be in yours as well. My guess would be PSG as group winners with you and Sevilla fighting for 2nd place. Not the worst draw, but starting with a defeat against them isn't ideal, obviously.

Farias on Fire

Facundo Farias scored two hat-tricks this month, underlining just why manager Bobby Stones pursued him in the summer.

His first hat-trick secured the 4-3 win against a surprisingly aggressive and resilient Fulham at Craven Cottage, completing the feat in the 81st minute with the match-winner. 17-year-old signing from Manchester United, Daniel Ashton, scored the other.

Not satisfied with that, Farias then hammered a hat-trick in the 4-1 rout of an out-of-sorts Liverpool, during which Liverpool manager Kurgen Klopp seemed somewhat lost on the touchline.

Plymouth scored 9 points from 3 Premier League matches in October, the other being a 2-0 victory against Bournemouth, to top the table at the end of the month, still on goal difference, with Arsenal matching Argyle’s results.

Farias’ scoring spree catapults him into joint top of the Premier League golden boot chase, alongside Erling Haaland on 7, although Farias trumps the Norwegian on goals-to-games ratio.

Other than that, Plymouth won convincingly in their first-ever Champions League away match in Prague, Adam Hlozek scoring a hat-trick, making it three in total across all competitions for Argyle in this calendar month.

Argyle Overcome PSG

In a shock for European royalty, Plymouth Argyle beat Paris St-Germain at the Parc des Princes, in front of a capacity crowd. Led by Kylian Mbappe, PSG were expected to defeat the English champions, rookies at this level, but the Devon side ran out 3-0 winners.

Although PSG had the most possession and out-passed the Pilgrims, Plymouth made their possession count with two excellently-taken goals from Alvarado and Battaglia, and an effort from the half-way line from Adan Hlozek at the end of the match.

Hlozek’s goal came after PSG sent goalkeeper Gianluca Donarumma up for a corner, hoping to find a way back even at that late stage. It was cleared to Hlozek, who advanced to the half-way line and then fired into the empty net.

The victory powers Argyle to the top of the group, level on points with PSG, who they will play next at Home Park.

Two hattricks for Farías, one to win a tough back and forth game vs Fulham and one to make it a 3 goal win at Anfield. There's just something about this guy, always becoming a standout performer for you.

The other hattrick, Hlozek, typical to see it come against his boyhood club. And scoring again in another 3 goal away win vs a true giant (PSG), you're certainly on top of things in Europe...

Argyle Take Control of Group

Plymouth Argyle took control of Champions League Group E with a controlled 4-1 victory at home against French giants Paris St-Germain.  The Pilgrims, who people sometimes forget are English champions, were expected to battle with Sevilla for second place in this group, and yet they have found a way to beat PSG twice, and in convincing fashion, with regard to the scorelines at least.  Four different players scored for Argyle, including Mikel Gomez (17), an academy promotee from February 2024 who is developing into a fine striker.

The win leaves Argyle top on 9 points, two clear of Sevilla.  PSG’s match against Sevilla next has assumed much greater significance for the French club, as they suddenly find themselves out of the qualifying places.

In the league, Argyle started the month with a 1-1 draw against West Ham, who are proving to be regularly difficult opponents for the Pilgrims.  After Daniel Ashton (17) fired Argyle into the lead, West Ham stepped up a gear, equalised soon afterwards, and then looked far more likely to win the match.  Ashton's goal was his second goal in consecutive appearances.

Ashton slots home vs West Ham

Arsenal’s win saw them take the lead in the league.  Argyle followed that draw with wins against Forest, Burnley and Everton.  Despite the Pilgrims resuming their winning ways, Arsenal remained top of the table at the month’s end as their relentless winning streak continued throughout November, as Mikel Arteta's side looked every inch potential champions.

In the golden boot chase, Facundo Farias sits second to Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus, whilst Kobbie Mainoo’s three goals in November sees him 7th in the listings – not bad for a midfielder.

Liverpool Thumped in Carabao Cup

Argyle thrashed a below-strength Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, running out 5-1 winners, as Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp decided to go with a team stuffed with fringe players, with just a couple of star players amongst them.  Luis Diaz was one of the stars, and he opened the scoring on 11 minutes before Argyle went on a goal spree.  Lorenzo Battaglia scored twice, including one of two scored in time added on at the end of the first half – the other coming from captain Cesar Huerta.

Liverpool dominated possession and completed more than twice as many passes as Argyle, but the Pilgrims were far more incisive and, after half time, made several substitutions of their own as manager Stones gave a run out for fringe players. 

Monteiro Promoted

A second Monteiro – Carlos – has been promoted to the first team. 

No relation to striker Laurenco, who was promoted last May, Carlos (16) is a midfielder considered an exciting prospect.

The Argyle talent factory seems to have no end in sight.

Whoa - last update: two 3-goal wins away vs Liverpool and PSG. This update, a 4-goal win and a 3-goal win at home vs the same. You lost the place in the top of the league, but it's Arsenal up there, so I'd expect them to drop off, at least in the second part of the season, if not before. Wait and see.

December 2025

Plymouth Qualify from CL Group

Argyle completed qualification from Group E with a match to spare, with a comprehgensive 5-1 demolition of the hapless Sparta Prague at Home Park.

Facundo Farias celebrated his Champions League debut with a goal after only 20 minutes and there were goals from Herrera, Galeano and Devaux as the Pilgrims ran riot.

Argyle will top the group due to their head-to-head record against PSG, who are now concerned that Argyle will field a weakened side in Sevilla and make their own bid to qualify potentially harder.

City Draw and a Wolves Thrashing

Following the victory over Sparta Prague, Argyle could only manage a draw at the Etihad, as Manchester City twice came from behind.  Ruben Dias’ headed goal, from a corner, in the 96th minute, was particularly hard to take and it means Argyle fall further behind Arsenal, who continue to win.  The Pilgrims are now 4 points behind the Gunners.

Despite the pressure to match Arsenal’s run, Manager Bobby Stones gave a team of fringe players a runout in the match against Wolves, and the kids duly delivered a total thrashing of the West Midlands’ side.  One of last season's Academy promotees Hugo Rodrigues was the star of the show, delivering a first-half hat-trick in fine style, whilst summer academy promotee Pepe Escobar scored his first two senior goals from the number 10 role.  Despite Wolves having most possession, and twice as many passes, the kids simply brushed Wolves aside in a manner that will have Wolves fans very concerned.

Facundo Farias contined his scoring form against Aston Villa, netting twice in a 4-2 victory on 13 December.  Rayan Cherki fired the other two home, continuing his own fine scoring start for the Pilgrims since his move to Argyle in the summer.

I remember this Hugo Rodrigues fellow. He did look very promising, when you brought him up, and that hattick and 10.0 performance makes it evident... Too bad with the late City equalizer, but you're still in a good position, and I still bet Arsenal to bottle it sooner or later.

19 goals from 5 games in the champions league. That's pretty impressive. I got a bit curious if this would be a record, but apparently you need 6 more vs Sevilla to reach PSG's record of 25 goals in the group stage. Well, you've just put 7 in behind Wolves, so why not?