Match Preview | Argyle v Cambridge United
Argyle enter into one of the biggest weeks in the club's history with a home game against Cambridge United.
As they attempt to escape Sky Bet League One, the Pilgrims will follow up with further home fixtures, against Bristol Rovers and Burton Albion, but the weekend's focus will be solely on Cambridge, a side battling to stay in the division.
Cambridge are 21st in the league, one point behind the team above them, and just below the dreaded dotted relegation line. They have 40 points from their 42 games so far.
The U's have had a mini-resurgence of late. Having won just one game out of 14 from the start of 2023, Cambridge beat Port Vale on 1 April, then followed up with a win at home to Fleetwood Town. Following a creditable draw at Bolton Wanderers, United then won 2-0 at home to local rivals Peterborough United last Saturday, before losing 2-1 at home to Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night.
Earlier this season, Cambridge played host to Argyle on 10 December, on a freezing cold day, with rather frigid fare on the football front, too. The sides played out a goalless draw.
Cambridge's top goalscorer this season is Sam Smith. The 25-year-old forward has 12 goals to his name, with five coming in his last five outings. Other notable names in the Cambridge squad include Lloyd Jones, a Plymothian who joined Liverpool from Argyle as a 16-year-old and later had a loan spell with his hometown side, playing nine times in 2019, as well as Will Mannion, a goalkeeper who played just once on an emergency loan deal, in 2017.
Cambridge are managed by Mark Bonner, who has held the managerial position since early 2020. Bonner was not a professional player, but worked his way through academy coaching roles over nearly two decades - first at Cambridge, then at Southend - before first-team coaching duties at the Abbey turned into the top job. In his first full season, the 2020/21 campaign, Cambridge were promoted to League One, where they finished 14th.
Schumacher Says
“I'm quite surprised that Cambridge are down there this year with the players that they got. There’s obviously a reason, but I'm not surprised that they've put a run together now and their fighting for the lives.
“They're in with a really good shout. They've been in great form. I really rate Mark as a coach. I think he does really well with his team. He always does well against us.
“We know that we're going to be in for a really tough game. We understand that they'll come here with a game plan, like they have done a few times, of being organised and hard to break down. We know that they've got a threat when they break and counter-attack because their forward players are really good. That's why I'm surprised they haven't got as many goals as they would've liked.
“They're still in with a chance because they've been in good form, had a great win in their derby game, against Peterborough. They lost to Wycombe, which can happen, but they'll come here full of confidence, I'm sure.”
Team News
Mike Cooper, James Bolton and Mickel Miller will miss out through long-term injuries. Adam Randell, Conor Grant and Bali Mumba have all trained this week, as their recovery from respective injuries continues. Dan Scarr, who went off injured on Tuesday night against Shrewsbury Town, was due for a scan on his leg on Thursday. Matt Butcher, who also went off injured in that game, should be fine. Ben Waine continues to nurse an ankle injury, but is available for selection if required.
Tickets
Tickets for this game are extremely limited for home supporters and are likely to sell out in advance. Should the game sell out, returned tickets can be made available, so keep checking ArgyleTickets.com.
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 former Argyle defender Marc Edworthy.
Charlie Price will host a pre-match show which will be available for free on YouTube from 2pm. He will be joined by former Argyle women's captain Katie Middleton.
Audio commentary of the game is available for £2.50 in the UK, and live video streaming is available for overseas supporters.
