United continue their pre-season schedule on Tuesday evening, as Devon rivals Plymouth Argyle head to Plainmoor to take on Gary Johnson’s men.
Having played two behind closed doors games against Reading & Bristol City respectively, it’s time for the Yellow Army to see how their team is shaping up, as the Gulls play at home for the first time this pre-season, with another two home games to follow before the big kick off at Dover Athletic on Saturday 5th August.
Newly promoted local rivals Plymouth Argyle will no doubt provide The Gulls with another stern test, with The Pilgrims winning the League One title last season to take their place in the Championship after an absence of 13 years.
Who’s the Boss?
Following Ryan Lowe’s departure in December 2021, it was to his long-time assistant, Steven Schumacher, that the Home Park hierarchy turned to in a bid to continue the Greens’ excellent start to the campaign, and it was to his credit that the side maintained their promotion bid right up until the climax of the 2021/22 season. However Schumacher was to go one better last season as the Pilgrims amassed 101 points and the League One title, finishing three points above second placed Ipswich Town.
Steve’s playing days began at Everton, and despite not quite making the grade at Goodison Park, Schumacher went on to make a name for himself as a midfielder of notable repute, representing the likes of Bradford, Crewe, Bury and Fleetwood, amongst others, in a career that lasted over fifteen years.
How have they been doing?
Following the disappointment of missing out on the 2021/22 League One Play-Offs, Argyle came out of the starting blocks in fine form, losing just two games in their opening 19 league games, including notable wins over promotion rivals Ipswich Town & Sheffield Wednesday, as well as a Devon Derby 4-2 televised home win over Exeter City. After losing 2-0 at home to Port Vale at the start of December, Plymouth then went on an eight match unbeaten league run which was only ended by a 1-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at the start of February.
Progression in the Football League Trophy saw the Pilgrims reach Wembley following a Semi-Final penalty shoot-out win over Cheltenham Town, but they couldn’t quite complete the task, going down 4-0 to Bolton Wanderers in the Final. Their league form didn’t suffer though after that defeat, and seven wins and just the one defeat in their last eight games, saw Argyle over the line and heading back to the Championship, with the League One title safely wrapped up and an impressive 101 points in the bag. Plymouth’s first Championship campaign in 13 years begins with a home game against Neil Warnock’s Huddersfield Town.
Player to Watch
Ryan Hardie scored 17 League & Cup goals last season, helping to propel Plymouth to the League One title, and a Wembley appearance in the Football League Trophy. Hardie is a Scottich striker who began his career at Rangers, where in five years at the Ibrox club he played 13 games and scored two goals, while also having loan spells at Raith Rovers (twice), St Mirren and most notably at Livingston, where in 37 games he scored 15 goals during the 2018/19 season.
Upon his release from the Glasgow club, the 26 year old came south of the border, joining Blackpool in 2019. It was during his time at Bloomfield Road that Hardie made his way to Devon, joining Plymouth for the second half of the 2019/20 season, He was back at Home Park on loan again for the 2020/21 season, and it was during this spell that the striker joined Argyle permanently at the end of January 2021. The Scotsman has also represented his country at U16, U17, U19, U20 & U21 level.
Played for Both
Current Torquay United U18s Manager Ryan Dickson started his career at Home Park, coming through the youth ranks before making five appearances for the first team. It was during his time at Plymouth that Dickson first came to the attention of Torquay, having two loan spells in 2007. A loan spell at Brentford during the 2007/08 season led to a permanent move to the Bees, where he went on to make over 80 appearances. Upon his release from Griffin Park in 2010, Dickson made his way to the South Coast, joining Southampton until 2013. During his time at St Marys the midfielder had loan spells at Yeovil, Leyton Orient and Bradford City.
Dickson played for Colchester United, Crawley Town and Yeovil, before he returned to Plainmoor in 2018 with United in the National League South. The 36 year old was part of Gary Johnson’s title winning side in the 2018/19 season, before a loan spell at Truro City led to a permanent move until he retired at the end of the 2021/22 season.
Previous Encounter
You have to go back to November 2011 for the last time United were victorious at Plainmoor, as Martin Ling’s promotion-chasing Torquay side secured a 3-1 win over tomorrow’s opponents – the first part of a rare league ‘double’ over the then relegation-threatened Pilgrims.
A goalless first half served as little warning to the action that would follow in the second, as two wonderful strikes from Gulls midfielder Eunan O’Kane saw Plainmoor erupt. Fans favourite Danny Stevens raised the roof by notching a third soon after to seal the points, and although Will Atkinson did notch a late consolation for the visitors, it couldn’t take anything away from a memorable Derby Day success for the hosts.
Ticket Information
Ticketing details will be the same for all of United’s pre-season friendlies at Plainmoor, whilst those unable to make the trip can keep up to date, with full live commentary available on TUFC Radio HERE.
Tickets can be purchased online HERE, in person at the Club Shop between 10am-2pm Wednesday to Friday, or by phoning the Club on 01803 328666 Monday to Friday 10am-2pm.
Prices for our home pre-season fixtures are as follows:
Adult – £10
Concession (65+ / Student) – £8
U18 – £5
U7 (with paying adult) – FREE
Please note that there is a £2 surcharge for all tickets purchased on the day of the game.
All matchday tickets will be fulfilled as e-tickets, with turnstiles at Plainmoor remaining cashless. E-tickets can either be printed off, or alternatively downloaded and stored onto your mobile device, ahead of being scanned at the turnstiles. Supporters requiring assistance are asked to email [email protected] or call the Club on 01803 328666 in the hours listed above.
TUAFC v Plymouth Argyle | 18/07/2023 7.30pm KO | Plainmoor, Torquay, TQ1 3PS |