Johnny Moore asks Chris Errington from the Plymouth Herald to run the rule over Argyle
Q: How satisfied are Plymouth with their current position of 14th in the League One standings?
A: Argyle carried the momentum of their 2019/20 promotion campaign into this season and after the Sky-televised 2-2 draw with Portsmouth at Home Park on November 16, they were ninth and not far off the play-off positions.
However, a 5-1 defeat at Fleetwood started a sequence of six successive League One defeats as they dropped all the way to 19th.
They stopped the rot with a 1-0 home win against MK Dons on December 19 and are now on a run of four victories, three draws and one defeat from their last eight league games and have worked their way up back up the league table.
Q: A good run would see Plymouth pushing for the play-offs, while a bad one could send them towards danger. What direction does the current form suggest?
A: The current form indicates a play-off push is more likely, although as Argyle know only too well from earlier in the season, it does not take much in this division and you can soon find yourself on the slide, such is the competitiveness of the teams across the board.
I think a top 10 finish would represent a good first season back in the third tier of English football for Ryan Lowe’s Pilgrims.
Q: What kind of campaign where Plymouth expecting when the action restarted back in September?
A: There is always a little bit of the unknown when you start a new season after a promotion and obviously the coronavirus pandemic and all the uncertainty created by that only added to it.
Lowe was careful not to make any bold statements about what he expected from Argyle in 2020/21, but I think the main target was to stabilise the club back in League One after one season away and then try to build from there. They are on course to do that.
Q: Who are the in-form Plymouth players likely to pose Pompey problems this afternoon?
A: Luke Jephcott is the top goalscorer in League One, with 14 goals from 18 starts and three substitute appearances. Only two of those have come from the penalty spot, with the 21-year-old academy graduate excelling in close range finishes around the six-yard area.
Danny Mayor is the Pilgrims’ midfield playmaker and while he has only netted once this term, he creates a lot of chances for his team-mates. You always expect the unexpected when he is on the ball.
Q: Will Lowe be playing for all three points at Fratton Park or be satisfied to return home with just the one?
A: Until recently, Argyle had not won an away league game this season. That run ended when they beat Sunderland 2-1 at the Stadium of Light on January 19 and they followed that up with a 2-0 win at Swindon, so that will have boosted their confidence of getting good results on their travels.
Lowe likes his side to play attacking football and I would expect him to send out his side in a 3-5-2 formation as usual and look to give Pompey a good run for their money.