Plymouth Argyle's promotion hopes took a hit with a 3-0 defeat away to Stevenage on Tuesday. The loss is their second in a row and leaves them fourth in League One, one point behind leaders Bradford City, with a record of six wins, one draw and four losses from their 11 games. They have now scored 18 goals this season while conceding 14.
Stevenage took the lead after 19 minutes when Michael Mellon scored, assisted by Josh Magennis. Magennis then turned scorer himself eight minutes later to double the home side's advantage. Plymouth struggled to respond and Phoenix Patterson added a third for Stevenage in the 83rd minute, sealing a dominant victory.
The statistics reflected a difficult night for Tom Cleverley's side. They managed just one shot on target from 13 attempts, while Stevenage had seven from 17. Plymouth also conceded 17 fouls, with Ronan Curtis receiving an early yellow card in the fourth minute. Cleverley made a double change at half-time, bringing on Xavier Amaechi and Caleb Watts, but it failed to spark a comeback.
League context
This result leaves Plymouth with 19 points from 11 games, a record of six wins, one draw and four losses. Their recent form shows two wins, one draw and two defeats from the last five, but they have now lost consecutive matches following last week's 2-0 home loss to Huddersfield Town, a game where Derensili Sanches Fernandes and Bojan Radulovic scored for the visitors. Top scorer A. Pepple, who has four goals this season in 10 appearances, started the match but was unable to find the net.
Plymouth's next fixture is a difficult away trip to face Cambridge United this Saturday. Cambridge are currently fifth in the League One table, just one point behind Plymouth with 18 points from their 11 matches. The game at the Abbey Stadium presents a key opportunity for Cleverley's side to end their losing run and regain momentum in the promotion race. A positive result is needed to halt the slide and keep pace at the top. Fans can view the full fixtures list for the remainder of the season. The team's recent results sequence includes a 2-1 win over AFC Wimbledon, a 2-2 draw at Newport County, and a 2-0 victory at Leyton Orient prior to the recent defeats.
Head coach Tom Cleverley has urged top scorer A. Pepple to "set the tone" for the team after two consecutive defeats. Pepple, who has four goals this season, has not scored since returning from a hamstring injury. Cleverley told the club he had not seen the same hunger in the striker. The manager also apologised for the 3-0 loss at Stevenage, which he called unacceptable. The defeat, combined with other results, sees Plymouth drop to fifth in League One, now three points behind leaders Stockport County.
On 22 October, manager Tom Cleverley apologised for the 3-0 defeat at Stevenage, calling it "unacceptable". He told reporters, "I absolutely hold my hands up and apologise for that performance." The loss was Plymouth's second consecutive defeat. The club's league standing is now fifth in League One, with 19 points from 12 games. They are three points behind leaders Stockport County.
