Continually coming from behind to win is clear evidence of a committed and tight-knit unit. This can certainly be said of Plymouth Argyle as they twice fought back from a deficit to overcome bitter rivals Exeter City. The Devon derby took place in front of the Sky Sports cameras and despite a slow start, Steven Schumacher’s side rose to the occasion and got the job done.
Plymouth Argyle Prevail In Brilliant Devon Derby
💚 Devon is Green.
Send tweet.#pafc pic.twitter.com/vkT2IjtFy3
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) October 31, 2022
Plymouth Argyle Are the Real Deal
As well as being the first team to reach the 40 points mark in the whole of the 92, Plymouth Argyle are the only side yet to drop points at home. Nine wins in nine at Home Park is quite the achievement and there was a raucous crowd of 16,576 in attendance. Recently appointed Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell spoke of the ferocity of the green army and coming from a man who graced the Celtic Park field over 100 times, this is a huge compliment.
Ipswich Town are the closest contenders to Argyle at the League One summit currently. The Tractor Boys themselves scored four goals in their last outing but in a dramatic conclusion against Charlton Athletic, they also shipped four. Since Schumacher took over from Ryan Lowe back in December, he has averaged 1.98 points a game in his first taste of management.
Steven Schumacher has led Argyle to 85 points from 43 League One games since being appointed manager last December, with a record of 26 wins, seven draws and 10 defeats. That is a win percentage of 60.5 per cent and a return of 1.98 points per game. #pafc pic.twitter.com/5PEpBj8gvF
— Chris Errington (@ChrisErrington1) November 1, 2022
There are very few negatives shrouding the city of Plymouth currently when it comes to football but one has just become particularly pressing. Both Finn Azaz and Danny Mayor were absent from the matchday squad against the Grecians and it has since been reported by Chris Errington that the former “is set to miss the next 10 to 12 weeks for League One leader’s Argyle because of a serious injury to his right ankle.”
The injury worries don’t end there for Schumacher. “Danny [Mayor] isn’t too far away – two, three weeks away – and Mickel Miller the same – three weeks away, maybe four.” Aston Villa loanee Azaz and former Bury man Mayor play somewhat similar roles is certainly a worry. Without them in the team though, academy graduate Adam Randell has stepped up in the more reserved role whilst Morgan Whittaker leads the team in goals, on seven alongside Scotsman Ryan Hardie.
Steven Schumacher Continues to Make Inspired Substitutions
There are so many individuals worth mentioning when discussing this mind-blowing Plymouth Argyle side. The players are doing the job on the pitch but it all has to start with the gaffer. A few eyebrows were raised when Schumacher was appointed as Ryan Lowe’s successor, but no one has looked back since.
He has repeatedly talked about the unity of his players despite having a relatively thin squad and this came to the fore once again. The Everton fan himself deserves a lot of praise, particularly for one facet of his management. The thin squad isn’t as much of an issue when the players who can come off of the bench make such an important impact.
Argyle lead the way in the third division when it comes to substitutes scoring goals. Only seven different players have been on target for the Janners, but five of them are regularly finding the back of the net. Azaz is one of them and the other four are all strikers, with at least one of them guaranteed to be sidelined every week. Whittaker and Hardie are at seven with Niall Ennis on six and Sam Cosgrove on five. Hardie was the man to do the job this time around, coming on to replace Ennis and subsequently scoring the third and fourth goals in this 4-2 success.
Read More: Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City Face Each Other in Devon Derby
Jay Stansfield Is Too Good for This Level
It would be easy enough to go on and on, waxing lyrical about the Pilgrims. They came up against a very impressive Exeter City side who posed a lot of threats. At the heart of their success on the pitch was 19-year-old, Jay Stansfield. His family has intrinsic links to the Grecians yet when he made the loan move down to Devon just days after appearing in back-to-back Premier League games with Fulham, it was quite surprising.
Stansfield has followed in his father’s footsteps after his passing and even dons the same shirt number. He certainly would have done Adam proud against Plymouth, assisting both of the City goals. Bali Mumba may have been named as the Man of the Match but he was turned inside out and left on the floor by the Cottagers loanee for the opener. Stansfield put it on a plate for Archie Collins and did the same again very smartly indeed for Sam Nombe not long after the break.
jay stansfield is a serious player https://t.co/RQnBCTe8R1
— Connie Pengelly (@conniepengelly9) October 31, 2022
As previously mentioned, Stansfield has run out for Fulham in the top flight this year and he showed every bit of that quality against Plymouth Argyle last night. The rain was beating down on the south coast but it did nothing to deter the teenager. He isn’t the only newish face on the scene either with manager Caldwell leading his first game last weekend against Derby County. The tough fixtures don’t stop there, after playing top of the league they have to play the second to sixth teams in their next six outings along with struggling Morecambe.
Exeter made a good account of themselves but ultimately, the best team in the league prevailed. Plymouth Argyle may not be able to compete with the likes of Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday and Derby when it comes to finances, but the league table is the ultimate evidence. A Devon derby to remember for the Green Army.
