Plymouth Argyle secured a commanding 4-0 victory over non-league Alvechurch in the Emirates FA Cup at Home Park on Saturday. Will Evans scored twice, with Michael Baidoo and Ronan Curtis also on target in a dominant display that showed the squad's depth. The result, a repeat of the 4-0 scoreline from Saturday 7 November, extends Plymouth's recent form to two wins, one draw, and two losses from their last five matches across all competitions.
Manager Tom Cleverley highlighted the performance of two-goal forward Will Evans. "Will Evans’ work-rate for the team is incredible," Cleverley said. Pepple with five goals.
Squad Impact
The win was built on significant contributions from returning players and impactful substitutes. Malachi Boateng started his first match since suffering a knee injury in August, while Oli Irow returned to the starting lineup. A triple substitution in the 61st minute proved decisive, with Baidoo, Curtis and Tyreeq Bakinson all entering the fray. Baidoo, who had been sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained in pre-season, scored his first competitive goal for the club since signing from Elfsborg in January 2025, finishing low from a Jared Rendle cross in the 78th minute. Curtis added the fourth with a clipped finish from a Harvey White pass.
League Context
The comfortable cup progression comes as Plymouth sit 5th in League One with 23 points from 14 games, a record of seven wins, two draws, and five losses. They are six points behind leaders Huddersfield, a gap they will aim to reduce in the coming weeks. Their immediate focus now shifts to a key league fixture away to 9th-placed Sheffield Wednesday next Saturday, 14 November. This follows a recent league run that included a 0-0 draw with Reading, a 3-2 win at Cambridge United, and defeats to Stevenage and Huddersfield. Overall this season, the team has scored 21 goals while conceding 19.
Joe Edwards was substituted in the 31st minute due to injury, replaced by Alex Hartridge. Goalkeeper James Storer played his second successive game, with the defence keeping a clean sheet as Alvechurch failed to register a single shot on target. The attendance at Home Park was 10,426.
Plymouth's next challenge is a league trip to Hillsborough, where they will look to close the gap at the top of the standings.
The original report is at stalbansreview.co.uk
