THE DAILY DIARY

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Greens on Screen's Daily Diary is a compilation of Argyle news, with help from these and other Argyle-related sites.

Plymouth Argyle FC

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On This Day:

Also included on the three most recent days, facts from Argyle's history.

Tuesday 18th August 2026

On This Day:

1988: At 20 years old, Sean McCarthy joined Argyle from Swansea City for £50,000.

2001: Lee Hodges made his debut as a signed-up Argyle player, having appeared eight times on loan from Spurs seven years earlier. The game was a 0-0 draw at Hull, with Argyle gaining the first of a record 102 points that season.

17th

On This Day:

1901: Another Home Park legend, Jack Leslie was born in Canning Town, London. In 1930, the Herald described him as "known throughout England for his skill and complexion" (he was a footballing rarity, a black player). In 15 inter-war years, he scored 137 goals in 400 games and remains fourth in Argyle's list of all-time goal scorers.

1976: Full-back Phil Burrows left Home Park for Hereford Utd.

1977: Two years after Tony Waiters and the likes of Paul Mariner and Billy Rafferty led Argyle to promotion, Paul Wotton was born in Plymouth, so 49 today.

16th

On This Day:

1935: One of our all-time greats, Johnny Williams was born in Bristol. He moved to Plymouth at an early age when his father got a job with the Herald, and began his football at Tamar School and also Virginia House, before progressing to Co-op Welfare and then the Dockyard side, EEM Department. He made his Argyle first-team debut in 1955, still an amateur, and went on to make 447 appearances for Argyle, mostly in midfield, and score 55 goals; many were his trade-mark, long-range special.

14th

Argyle Academy goalkeeper Thomas Armytage has been called up to the England Under-16 squad. He will join his teammates in London before flying to Florence where two fixtures against Italy are to be played in the week of 24 August.

Phil Stokes, Academy Manager, said: "We are incredibly proud of Thomas on his selection for England U16s. It is a fantastic achievement and deserved recognition of the hard work, commitment and progress he continues to show both on and off the pitch.

"Representing your country is a special honour for any young player, and this is another important step in Thomas' development. It is also a proud moment for his family and everyone across the Academy who has supported him on his journey so far."

13th

The Lighthouse Charity will become the front of shirt sponsor for Argyle Men's third kit.

Their logo will adorn the front of the tship for the duration of the 2026-27 Sky Bet League One season, after longstanding club partners Classic Builders and Beehive Homes donated their place.

The charity provides 24/7 holistic support to our UK and Ireland construction community on all aspects of emotional, physical and financial wellbeing.

In addition, they offer a free and confidential 24/7 helpline and a 1:1 online chat service which provides support on a huge variety of wellbeing issues. These services are complemented by their free self-support app.

Sarah Bolton, CEO of The Lighthouse Charity, added: "We're absolutely delighted that our charity has been nominated as Argyle's third kit shirt sponsor.

"This amazing opportunity has been made possible by our long term supporters, Classic Builders and Beehive Homes who have been incredibly generous in shining a spotlight on the Lighthouse Charity and the work we do to support our construction community.

"Football connects people, especially within construction, so seeing our logo front and centre on the shirts is a very proud moment for us."

12th

Happy Birthday to Argyle boss, Tom Cleverley - 37 today.

11th

Argyle's participation in the Under-21s Cup has been confirmed. The format consisting of a four-team group competition in which each side will play each other twice - home and away, followed by a 16-team knockout stage. Two teams from each group will advance to the knockout (round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final).

Argyle's group stage opponents are Leicester City, Cardiff City and AFC Bournemouth.

Leicester City (A) - Friday 14 August, 7pm.

Cardiff City (H) - Monday 7 September, 7pm.

AFC Bournemouth (A) - Monday 12 October, 7pm.

Leicester City (H) - Tuesday 27 October, 7pm.

Cardiff City (A) - Friday 20 November, 7pm.

AFC Bournemouth (H) - Monday 7 December, 7pm.

Former Argyle striker and fans' favourite, Ryan Hardie, has signed for Bolton Wanderers on a season-long loan from his parent club, Wrexham. In doing so, he will unite with former Argyle boss, Steven Schumacher.

10th

Argyle triumphed 2-0 at the death in the EFL (Carabao) Cup round one Devon Derby fixture against Exeter City in front of a packed and noisy Home Park. The match marked the debut of recent signing, Will Evans, from Mansfield Town, but it was not such a happy start for Exeter debutant, Ethan Sutherland. Signed on loan in the afternoon from Wolverhampton Wanderers, he came on as a substitute in the second half and was sent off after 23 minutes, having been awarded two yellow cards.

A disjointed and uneven game was decided by two goals in second half added time. Former Exeter defender, Alex Hartridge (who had earlier been abused by Exeter fans) nodded home from a Harvey White corner on 91 minutes. Two or so minutes later, Freddie Issaka dispossessed the Exeter keeper and Bim Pepple slotted home from close range to seal the win.

For a full report, see the official website.

Argyle: 1 Murphy Cooper, 2 Mathias Ross (5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 77), 6 Malachi Boateng, 7 Harvey White, 9 Will Evans, 10 Xavier Amaechi (29 Matty Sorinola, 67), 11 Ronan Curtis, 15 Alex Mitchell, 22 Alex Hartridge, 27 Bim Pepple, 45 Wes Harding (capt, 25 Freddie Issaka 90). Substitutes: 21 James Storer (gk), 4 Brendan Wiredu, 8 Joe Edwards, 23 Bradley Ibrahim, 24 Caleb Roberts, 43 James Sharpe.

Goals: Hartridge 90+1. Pepple 90+4

Argyle have been drawn at home against Premier League newbies, Coventry City in the next round. The tie is expected to be played on Tuesday 25 August.

Striker Owen Oseni is likely to be out of action for about four weeks with a thigh injury.

8th

Tom Cleverley is still hoping to add an attacking wide player to his squad for the upcoming season, although Argyle are 'pretty close' to the limit of the new Salary Cost Management Protocol rules in League One for this season.

As it stands the only two fit, senior players that are available in this position are Xavier Amaechi and Ronan Curtis, with Caleb Watts out injured.

However, speaking to Plymouth Live, Cleverley indicated that 20-year-old Freddie Issaka could come under consideration as well after a strong pre-season showing.

Argyle youngsters scored an impressive double against Watford at Millennium Fields.

The U-18s thumped the Hornets 6-1, with a hat trick from Seb Campbell added to goals from James Sharpe, Tashall Sandhu and substitute Marley- Blu Francis - and that after Watford had taken the lead after nine minutes.

Six goals and four different scorers shows a statement of intent for the season to come.

Head Coach, Jamie Lowry, said: "I asked them at the start of the game to set the tone for the season and put down a bit of a marker.

"We worked on a way of playing and to be fair we executed what we worked on all pre-season in terms of being competitive and being able to play forward early.

"It was a real good mentality to come back from one-nil down and end up scoring six.

"I thought it was great that we had lots of different people contributing, it wasn't just the strikers scoring goals, it was all over the team.

"Obviously being ruthless in front of goal, which we were today, so I'm really pleased with lots of aspects of pre-season that have come to fruition today."

Argyle: 23 Leo McCormick, 2 Joe Mwaro (capt), 3 Jovan Wamani, 4 Joel Tolcher, 5 Sam Hayman, 6 Dylan Williams, 7 Tashall Sandhu, 8 Seb Campbell (16 Emran Boudarga-Wischhoff, 63), 9 Frankie Maund (15 Marley-Blu Francis, 63), 10 James Sharpe (12 Corey Browne, 76), 11 Jared Rendle (14 Harry Locke, 66). Substitute: 1 Charlie Pawley (gk).

Goals: Campbell 26, 42, 47, Sharpe 45+1, Sandhu 45+3, Francis 90+4

Meanwhile, the U-16 side were also victorious, with a 3-1 win against the Hertfordshire side.

Jessica Beaumont, the partner of former Argyle loanee, Owen Dale, has written an article for the BBC sport website about life as a WAG (women and girlfriends) of a player who is constantly transferred from club to club around the country. Jessica gave birth to the couple's second child, Etta, in Derriford Hospital earlier this year.

7th

Tom Cleverley gave an injury update at his Friday news conference:

-Caleb Watts should be back in a couple more weeks;

-Tegan Finn should train on Sunday but won't be ready for Monday's game against Exeter;

-Jack MacKenzie has been out on the pitch and he's making good progress to return in a few weeks

-Baidoo will have surgery tomorrow on his hamstring ahead of a 12-week rehab process

-There is a strong chance that Joe Edwards will be in the squad on Monday

At Friday 6pm, Argyle announced their latest signing, confirmation of the arrival of Will Evans from Mansfield Town for an undisclosed fee (thought to be £400K) on a two-year contract with a Club option of a third. He will wear the no 9 shirt.

6th

According to various rumours - and Chris Errington of Plymouth Live, Argyle are 'closing in' on the signature of Will Evans from Mansfield Town for a reported figure around £400,000, with a medical expected shortly.

5th

Tom Cleverley said he was 'pleased' with his side's performance in their final friendly fixture - a 4-1 away win over Tavistock last night.

He said: "It was a bit of a split squad this evening, with a lot of young players getting exposed to starting a game for Argyle in front of fans.

"A lot of those boys played at Elburton last week, this is a level up from that. And then important for a group of senior players who for one reason or another haven't got more than 120-130 pre-season minutes under their belt.

"They got some solid minutes to make sure they are durable for the season coming. They were really professional and got out of it what they needed to, and some of the younger boys really caught they eye, so I'm pleased."

The next Fans' Forum, the first of the new season, will take place on Friday 14 August in The View at the Far Post Club, starting at 6.30pm. The panel is Simon Hallett, Paul Berne and Derek Adams. Tickets are free and can be obtained on a first-com-first-served basis by clicking on the link on the official website.

4th

Argyle completed their pre-season friendly programme, undefeated, with a 4-1 away win at Tavistock. 'Pleggy' captained the side which mainly consisted of teenage players with only four recognised first-team starters. Goals came from Brendan Wiredu (2), first year apprentice, James Sharpe, and Caleb Roberts - the last two both stunning strikes - after Tavistock had gone ahead in the early minutes. Argyle equalised to make the score 1-1 at half time before putting the game to bed in the second period.

Argyle: 21 James Storer, 4 Brendan Wiredu (30 Harry Locke, 75), 5 Julio Pleguezuelo (captain), 23 Bradley Ibrahim (42 Joel Tolcher, 67), 24 Caleb Roberts, 25 Freddie Issaka, 26 Frankie Maund (43 James Sharpe, half-time), 38 Seb Campbell, 39 Sam Hayman, 40 Joe Mwaro (29 Dylan Williams, 79), 44 Jared Rendle. Substitute: 41 Leo McCormick.

Goals: Wiredu 22, 75, Sharpe 61, Roberts 87.

The successful friendly run was marred by the news of a significant hamstring injury to Michael Baidoo. The forward limped off in the game against Bristol City on Saturday and is expected to be out for a significant length of time.

3rd

Argyle announced details of Miles Away travel club for the coming season.

Miles Away Travel memberships are priced at the following:

Adult-£30; Adult Season Ticket Holder-£25; Junior (Under 18)-£20; Junior (Under 18) Season Ticket Holder-£15.

For full terms &conditions see the official website.

1st

Argyle put in a very commendable performance, drawing 0-0 against Championship side, Bristol City in a friendly at Home Park in front of a 7,000 plus crowd. Tom Cleverley put out a 4-4-2 side against the Robins who included former Pilgrims Adam Randell and recent addition Lorent Tolaj. The Greens looked solid in all areas of the pitch, creating a number of scoring chances and can consider themselves unlucky not to have come away with a win. Their performance was marred only by an apparent hamstring injury to Michael Baidoo, with an update on his condition expected on Monday.

Argyle: 1 Murphy Cooper (21 James Storer, 59), 2 Mathias Ross, 6 Malachi Boateng (23 Bradley Ibrahim, 70), 7 Harvey White (4 Brendan Wiredu, 77), 11 Ronan Curtis, 15 Alex Mitchell (5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 59), 18 Owen Oseni, 20 Michael Baidoo (10 Xavier Amaechi, 30), 22 Alex Hartridge, 27 Bim Pepple (25 Freddie Issaka, 77), 45 Wes Harding (capt, 29 Matty Sorinola 70). Substitutes: 48 Frankie Maund.

Attendance: 7,556 (854 away)

31st July

Argyle Juniors fell at the last hurdle in the SuperCupNI, going down to a 3-0 defeat to St Patrick's Athletic.

Despite not coming away as victors at the Coleraine Showground, Head Coach Dan Thompson's side made everyone at Home Park extremely proud at reaching the final stage for the first time in the Academy's history.

30th

Director of Football, Derek Adams was a candid and entertaining guest at a packed Senior Greens meeting in Club Argyle - the first of the new season. Reports can be found on PASOTI and the Freechat Facebook page.

Argyle Juniors are into the final of the SuperCupNI by virtue of a 3-2 win against County Antrim. The young Greens will face St Patrick's Athletic on Friday, 31 July, at the Coleraine Showground, with the game kicking off at 3pm.

Kick-off times have been changed for two of Argyle's October fixtures. The home games against Wimbledon (10 October) and Reading (31 October) have been moved to 12.30 pm because they have been selected for broadcast by Sky Sports.

29th

Young Argyle's SuperCupNI squad confirmed their place in the Boys' Junior SuperCup semi-final with a 1-1 draw against County Londonderry on Wednesday afternoon.

The Greens headed into the game top of Group D, following wins over Chicago City and Tottenham Hotspur, needing just a point to confirm their spot. They will play County Antrim in the semi-final tomorrow.

The club has announced change to the Evergreen scheme for the coming season which intend to make it simpler and easier to understand than before. For details, see today's entry on the official website.

PADSA (the disabled supporters' association) has launched its website. www.padsa.co.uk. To volunteer, contact Sue Clark or Les Stanley.

28th

Young Argyle moved into top spot in Group D of the Boys' Junior section at the SuperCupNI with an impressive 4-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

The Greens' rapid start was too much for the Category One academy side, with a goal high just 14 seconds after kick-off and the lead doubled a minute later, thanks to aTottenham own-goal from a corner.

Spurs scored before the break and levelled shortly after but a penalty and a goal by 55 minutes sealed the win for the young Pilgrims

For the 2026-27 season, Argyle men's team season-ticket holders and Evergreen members* will now be offered Reward Credit.

For season-ticket holders, Reward Credit of 10% can be obtained with every purchase from the Argyle Superstore � both online and in-store � and, for the first time, on food and drink from club-run kiosks at Home Park on match-days. Reward Credit will also be part of the new Evergreen Rewards system, which will be announced shortly and rolled out in the coming weeks. Full details of this will be emailed to relevant supporters in due course.

Happy birthday to Freddie Issaka who is 20 years old today.

27th

Argyle started their 2026 SuperCupNI adventure on Monday afternoon, with a comprehensive win over Chicago City.

Head Coach Dan Thompson's side finished as 8-2 victors at Parker Avenue, despite Chicago taking an early lead just a minute into the match. The Greens had also beaten the American side in last year's competition.

Head Coach, Tom Cleverley, told Plymouth Live that a 'lot of hard work' was going into signing someone to wear the vacant number nine shirt and it would be done 'as quick as possible' after Lorent Tolaj's £4m move to Bristol City.

He said that strikers were being considered from clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two, as well as from overseas and that there were 'one or two options' in each category.

"We will get the very best striker there is out there to replace those goals and the club are on board with that. We are working hard to make sure that happens as quick as possible because we want to click as soon as possible," he said.

26th

Former Argyle Women's forward, Charlotte Whitmore, has signed for Devon rivals, Exeter City.

25th

Argyle were given a bit of a work-out by National League South Truro City in a narrow 1-0 away win against the Tinners. Argyle were pressed by a strong Cornish side which included two former Pilgrims, Luke Jephcott and Tyler Harvey, but the tie was settled by a goal on 82 minutes from substitute Michael Baidoo, his third of the pre-season campaign, making him current joint top scorer. The Greens were boosted by the return of Alex Mitchell in defense - his first match since his signing two days ago.

Head Coach, Tom Cleverley, admitted that his side had been pushed hard by both Truro and Torquay earlier in the week. He said: "I thought the two positives were from a competitive aspect of the game, the tackles, the duels, the second balls, the set plays, we were much stronger than we were Tuesday.

"I thought we dominated that part of the game in periods, and certainly matched them in other periods. Defensively we looked solid, although their long throw at the end brought one or two worrying moments.

"In the main, we looked really solid, well structured, good intensity about us and you have got to say the last two games we have not quite clicked in possession or as an attacking unit.

"That is what a large part of the work will be from now until the start of the season, just getting back to those real key avenues of attacking output.

"There will be players coming in (new signings) at that area of the pitch to help with that, but the players that are in at the minute we need to help them through that and get back to our best that we saw at the end of last season."

Argyle will now face Bristol City, including their new recruit, Lorent Tolaj, at Home Park on Saturday 1 August, with a kick off time of 2pm.

Argyle: 1 Murphy Cooper, 2 Mathias Ross (capt, 40 Joe Mwaro 90+6), 6 Malachi Boateng, 7 Harvey White (23 Bradley Ibrahim, 61), 10 Xavier Amaechi (20 Michael Baidoo, 61) 11 Ronan Curtis, 15 Alex Mitchell (44 Jared Rendle, half-time) 18 Owen Oseni, 22 Alex Hartridge (24 Caleb Roberts, 75), 27 Bim Pepple (25 Freddie Issaka, 61), 29 Matty Sorinola. Substitutes: 21 James Storer (gk), 41 Leo McCormick (gk), 26 Tegan Finn.

Booked: Ross 39, Sorinola 89

Goals: Baidoo 82

Young Argyle are preparing for their annual trip to SuperCupNI The Greens will be heading across the Irish Sea with a squad of Under-14s and -15s, led by Dan Thompson, and have been drawn into a group alongside Chicago City, County Londonderry and Tottenham Hotspur. The results in the group stages will determine how the latter part of their week will look. The fixtures are:

Monday, 27 July v Chicago City, Parker Avenue, 1pm

Tuesday, 28 July v Tottenham Hotspur, Broughshane, 3pm

Wednesday, 29 July v Co. Londonderry, Riada Stadium, 3pm

24th

Argyle Women have signed defender, Ellie Bishop, from Norwich City where she played a key role in helping the Canaries secure promotion to the FAWNL Northern Premier Division for the first time through the play-offs.

Ellie came through the Norwich pathway from the age of nine, and was awarded the Young Player of the Season award for the 2021-22 season, before joining Spurs for the following campaign.

After also having a spell with Watford, Bishop returned to Norwich and became the club's first-ever female professional player, in June 2025.

Argyle Women Head Coach Matt Green said: "We're delighted to get Ellie on board with our new project here at Argyle. She was a key member of Norwich's promotion squad last season, so will add a winning mentality to our squad.

"She's a defender who reads the game really well, is strong in the air, and brings great communication and professionalism on and off the pitch, which will help our younger players. I'm excited to see her development this season, and we can't wait for her to play in front of the Green Army at Home Park."

23rd

After days, weeks, even months of speculation and hours of rumours, Argyle announced the permanent signing of centre back, fans' favourite and last season's player of the year, Alex Mitchell on a three-year deal from Charlton Athletic. The 'undisclosed fee' is thought to be somewhere between £200,000 and £600,000 with add ons. Mitchell, who is clearly delighted to be back at Plymouth, was unveiled riding a horse on a merry-go-round and then gave an interview in which he thanked Tolaj for facilitating his return.

22nd

A happy 90th birthday to Alec Brenton!

Al became involved in the Trust when the EFL introduced the original Community Scheme, and dedicated over 25 years leading 'Matchday Magic' at Home Park Stadium - a matchday provision inspiring local young people and creating the next generation of the Green Army.

Tom Cleverley says he is looking for a 'quality striker' to replace the departed Lorent Tolaj and that conversations are ongoing with another club to sign such a player.

21st

Twenty years to the day since Argyle played a pre-season friendly against Real Madrid in the Austrian Alps, the Greens - and a sizeable number of the Green Army - descended on Plainmoor for the traditional warm-up fixture against Devon neighbours, Torquay United.

Argyle made it three wins out of three in a tight and closely fought encounter, as the Pilgrims were definitely challenged more than they had been in their previous two matches. It was what Tom Cleverley called a 'wake-up call'.

Pepple scored the only goal of the game midway through the first half, finishing well from inside the six-yard box after good work on the Argyle right, to put the ball beyond former young Pilgrim keeper, Zak Baker.

Torquay's no 19, Isaac Westendorf caused Argyle problems, while the Gulls felt they were unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty in the first half. But, despite chances in the second half, Torquay just could not find the equaliser and the Greens held on for the 1-0 win.

Argyle starting line-up with substitutes in brackets: 21 James Storer, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo (39 Hayman 60'), 11 Ronan Curtis (10 Amaechi 60'), 22 Alex Hartridge (2 Ross 46'), 23 Bradley Ibrahim (6 Boateng 60'), 24 Caleb Roberts (7 White 60'), 25 Freddie Issaka (38 Campbell 60'), 27 Bim Pepple(18 Oseni 46'), 40 Joe Mwaro (29 Sorinola 60'), 43 James Sharpe (20 Baidoo 46'), 45 Wes Harding (capt) (44 Rendle 60'),

Goals: Pepple 28

Yellows: Matty Sorinola 74

20th

Late in the evening, it was confirmed that Lorent Tolaj had completed a move to Championship side, Bristol City, for an undisclosed fee, thought to be in excess of £4m with add ons.

Argyle Director of Football Derek Adams said:

"We have sold him for significantly more money than we paid for him, and while you never want to lose players of his quality, this represents excellent business for the football club in a short space of time, and epitomises our player trading model.

"It is beneficial that the sale has happened with a lot of the transfer window still to go. It gives us the opportunity to recruit an appropriate replacement, and further strengthen the squad.

"We thank Tolly for his contributions at Argyle, and wish him well for the future, where we are sure he will continue to progress."

Our Mr Argyle, Kevin Nancekivell, has been awarded an honorary degree from Plymouth University. Very well deserved, Nance.

18th

Argyle continued their pre-season warm-up with a 3-0 victory at Bath City. Goals came from Owen Oseni, Michael Baidoo and Xavier Amaechi, though the Greens had many opportunities to score. Bath's substitutions included former Argyle striker, Ruben Reid.

The 11 starters gave way on 62 minutes to a completely new line-up.

Argyle (1): 1 Murphy Cooper, 2 Mathias Ross (capt), 6 Malachi Boateng, 10 Xavier Amaechi, 18 Owen Oseni, 20 Michael Baidoo, 22 Alex Hartridge, 27 Bim Pepple, 29 Matty Sorinola, 38 Seb Campbell, 44 Jared Rendle.

Argyle (2): 21 James Storer, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 11 Ronan Curtis, 23 Bradley Ibrahim, 24 Caleb Roberts, 25 Freddie Issaka, 26 Tegan Finn, 39 Sam Hayman, 40 Joe Mwaro, 43 James Sharpe, 45 Wes Harding.

Next up is a visit to Plainmoor to take on Torquay United on Tuesday night.

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