Football Season Guide

Ryan Lowe could be facing his most challenging season as Plymouth Argyle manager. He took them straight back up to League One after taking over from Derek Adams in 2019/20 and comfortably kept them in the division last season. He has brought stability to the Devon club with an entertaining, passing style of football. A promising start to 2021 saw the Pilgrims flirt with the play-offs but they soon fell away again and finished in mid-table. 21-year-old Michael Cooper established himself between the sticks but the story of the year was the sensational form of 21-year-old striker Luke Jephcott, who has signed a new two-year deal this summer. Equally important is midfield playmaker Danny Mayor, who has also signed a new contract during the summer and it gives Lowe a basis of a team to build around. He has lost several loan players, who have returned to their parent clubs whilst the departures of defender Will Aimson and midfielder Ben Reeves are a blow. He has made several defensive additions; including left-sided wing-back Macauley Gillesphey, who returns from a spell in Australia, and a trio of centre-backs in Dan Scarr, James Bolton and James Wilson. He will be looking to make a couple more key additions to his squad and is likely to utilise the loan market once again. Improving on last season is the challenge and, with League One looking particularly strong this season, it is likely to be rather tricky.