Match Preview | Argyle v Accrington Stanley
Having gained 19 points from a possible 21 against the other teams who comprise the top eight in Sky Bet League One, Argyle must now face Accrington Stanley – who are ninth.
Stanley have seemingly gone through three phases already in the 2022/23 season. They drew four of their first five games, then began September with three defeats, losing to Ipswich Town, Forest Green Rovers and Wycombe Wanderers.
Since then, though, Accrington have bounced back with three wins on the spin, beating Cheltenham Town and Bristol Rovers 1-0, before downing Morecambe 3-1 on Saturday.
Experienced midfielder Sean McConville, who has played over 400 times for Accrington, has been an ever-present so far this season, and is Stanley’s top goalscorer, having scored four times in the league. Fellow midfielder Tommy Leigh, 22, who was signed in July 2021 from Bognor Regis Town, is having a breakthrough season, and has three goals to his name.
Manager John Coleman has racked up more than 1,000 games as Stanley boss, in two spells. He was the boss as Stanley were promoted three times in order to reach the EFL, and though he left for spells with Rochdale, Southport and Sligo Rovers, returned in 2014, and once again steered Stanley to a promotion, this time to League One, in 2017/18.
Last season, Argyle had two sterling results against Accrington. The Pilgrims won 4-1 in Lancashire, with Jordan Houghton, Ryan Broom and Ryan Hardie all on target after an own goal had started Argyle’s goal tally. In March, The Greens again scored four, this time winning 4-0 as Panutche Camara, Joe Edwards and Niall Ennis all joined Hardie on the scoresheet.
Schumacher Says
“They’ve had a brilliant start. They are ninth in the table and have won their last three. They’ve got some good players. They are always difficult to play against with the way they play, the way they mark you.
“[Accrington doing well] might surprise other people who don’t know them, but if you know who the characters are and know what that club is about then you shouldn’t be surprised about how well they always do.”
Team News
Macaulay Gillesphey and Danny Mayor missed out on Tuesday’s win against Sheffield Wednesday, and will be assessed ahead of this game. Long-term injuries to Mickel Miller and James Bolton continue to rule them out.
Tickets
A limited number of tickets remain available to purchase online at argyletickets.com. The Home Park Ticket Office will be open until kick-off for supporters wishing to purchase on the day of the fixture.
Turnstiles will open two hours before kick-off, from 1pm. Supporters are advised to enter through the turnstile identified on their match ticket. However, if neighbouring turnstiles have shorter queues, supporters are permitted to enter these to speed up access to the stadium.
Argyle TV
The game will be covered on Argyle TV, with commentary from Rob McNichol and Marc Edworthy. Ian Stonebridge will join Charlie Price for a pre-match show which will be available for free on YouTube from 2pm.
Audio commentary of the game is available for £2.50 in the UK, and live video streaming is available for overseas supporters.
Click here for more info on Argyle TV.
