Plymouth Argyle Aim for Victory Against Blackpool

Plymouth Argyle hit the road today chasing more than just sea air. They head to Bloomfield Road looking to turn a promising run into something more substantial against Ian Evatt’s Blackpool.

Argyle arrive with momentum firmly behind them. Three wins from their last four League One outings have nudged them up the early table and sharpened belief in the dressing room. Home Park has seen back-to-back clean-sheet victories in that spell – 2-0 against Bradford City and a commanding 3-0 dismantling of Barnsley – but it was the last away day that really underlined their edge.

In South Yorkshire on September 5, the Pilgrims edged a wild 3-2 contest at Doncaster Rovers, showing both attacking punch and enough resilience to survive the inevitable pressure late on. That result turned an improving start into something more convincing.

Now comes one of the real hauls of their season. By the time they arrive back in Devon tonight, Argyle will have clocked up 642 miles on the round trip to the north-west coast. Only February’s journey to Bradford will take them further from Plymouth, and even that is by the narrowest of margins. It is the kind of journey that can drain legs – or, with the right result, galvanise a campaign.

Waiting for them are a Blackpool side still trying to work out exactly who they are this season. Evatt’s team sit 10th in League One, four places and two points behind Argyle, with a perfectly even record from six games: two wins, two draws, two defeats. It is the sort of start that keeps you in touch but leaves questions hanging.

Last weekend summed them up. Blackpool twice went in front against Bromley at Bloomfield Road, through Albie Morgan and Tom Bloxham, and twice let the lead slip in a 2-2 draw. The attacking threat is there; the control, less so.

So the stage is set on the Fylde coast. Argyle, buoyant and battle-hardened from recent results, against a Blackpool side still searching for consistency. One team looking to turn a good run into a statement. The other desperate to prove that mid-table is not their ceiling.