Team in Focus: Plymouth Argyle - strengths, weaknesses and prospects

Sky Bet League One

Swindon 1 Plymouth 1
E Doyle 45 Joel Grant 76

Swindon Town v Plymouth Argyle match report

A draw was definitely the least Plymouth deserved and if anyone was to come out on top it looked more likely to be Argyle even though they needed a late equaliser from Joel Grant to share the points.

Grant's leveller came following classy interplay with sub George Cooper, and Antoni Sarcevic so nearly won it with a fierce volley which was blocked before it could burst the net.

Plymouth had needed to push in the second half after falling behind on the stroke of the interval. Swindon striker Eoin Doyle expertly lifted the ball over advancing visiting keeper Alex Palmer just moments before Plymouth's Zak Rudden missed a one-on-one.

Plymouth Argyle tactics

Argyle boss Ryan Lowe earned a reputation for playing wonderful football at Bury last season, where he once asked: "Why can’t we play like Liverpool, Man City or Barcelona? We might not have the players but we can try to entertain and score goals."

Plymouth are a team who like to press, and with Grant's goal was a perfect example of how they are prepared to stay patient and wait for openings.

And despite being away at highly-rated opponents - albeit backed by a large travelling support easily in excess of 2,000 - Lowe was urging his men forward right until the final whistle.

They are an attack-minded team in a 3-1-4-2 formation with central midfielders in Danny Mayor and Sarcevic looking to join in attacks.

Plymouth Argyle strengths

Plymouth use the ball well and the holding midfielder - first Joe Edwards and then sub Jose Baxter - often dictates play, trying to find the mercurial Mayor, who was key for Lowe's Bury too.

Only once did Mayor get into a great position at the County Ground, slipping in Rudden, who was unable to finish off the move.

Baxter made a difference when he came on, although not as much as Cooper so the subs are clearly potential game-changers for Argyle.

Cooper, a winger by trade, was used as a gung-ho wing-back and he caused many problems to a tiring Robins rearguard.

Plymouth Argyle weaknesses

Lowe's Bury had Nicky Maynard banging in 21 goals and James O'Shea adding another 15 from midfield, but this Plymouth side lacks a penalty-box killer such as Swindon's Doyle.

Rudden was an ever-willing runner but is yet to open his Argyle account and nobody in the squad has more than two Sky Bet League Two goals this season.

Plymouth Argyle goalscorer bets

Mayor, with one goal this term and none in ten, should be doing better given he is one of the top players in the division and sees plenty of the ball and the side is built around his obvious talent.

View from Plymouth Argyle manager Ryan Lowe

"The first half we didn’t play as well as we should. We didn’t get on the ball enough. Second half we were the better team. Cooper and Baxter came on to give us that extra and I thought we deserved the goal."

Plymouth Argyle prospects

These were two good sides - Swindon manager Richie Wellens called it "a proper game" - and Plymouth are clearly superior to their 11th place suggests.

Argyle look like the sort of team still finding their way under a new manager but there is talent and the Green Army can look forward to more consistent results as the season develops.

At 11-4 for promotion they look a worthwhile bet.

How did Swindon play?

Swindon are also going to be fighting for promotion, particularly when some of their injured players recover. Front pair Jerry Yates and Doyle are both on loan with release clauses in January so that will be a concern for anyone looking to back them.

The Robins were a little bit too negative in their 4-4-2 formation as they tried to hold their 1-0 advantage, although it was always going to be difficult to put a full press on for 90 minutes.

Swindon Town v Plymouth Argyle teams

Swindon 4-4-2: Benda; Hunt, Zakuani, Baudry, Donohue; Isgrove (Woolery 77), Grant, Lyden, Anderson (Doughty 58); Doyle, Yates.

Plymouth 3-1-4-2: Palmer; Wootton, Aimson (Canavan h-t), Sawyer; Edwards; Riley (Baxter 61), Sarcevic, Mayor, McFadzean (Cooper 69); Rudden, Joel Grant.

Next three League Two fixtures

Swindon: Crewe (a), Stevenage (h), Crawley (a).

Plymouth:Carlisle (h), Leyton Orient (h), Exeter (a).

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