Meet the opposition | Plymouth Argyle
As Swansea City get set to host Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, we take a closer look at the Pilgrims.
WHAT'S THEIR STORY?
Plymouth was originally founded in 1886 as Argyle Football Club, they adopted their current name when they became fully professional in 1903.
The Pilgrims have had a number of highs and lows over their 138-year existence. They won several Third Division titles from the 1950s onwards but invariably seemed to suffered relegations shortly on the back of those successes.
Perhaps the lowest point of their existence, Argyle went into administration in 2011 while two successive relegations left them in League Two.
They were promoted to League One during the 2016-17 season, where they spent two seasons in the third tier before being relegated again in the 2018-2019 season.
However, they bounced back at the first attempt the following campaign, and were then promoted to the Championship last summer after winning the League One title and racking up 101 points.
HOW'S THEIR FORM?
Good. Since their 4-0 loss to leaders Leicester City in December, Plymouth have only lost one of their last 10 games in all competitions. They are the fifth-highest scorers in the Championship, with 47 goals to their name.
However, Argyle are yet to win away from home this season in the league, drawing six and losing eight on their travels.
Last time out they draw with Leeds United in the fourth round of the FA Cup, while their most-recent win came on January 20, when they beat Cardiff City 3-1.
WHO'S THE GAFFER?
The 47-year-old Englishman Ian Foster took over the reins for the Pilgrims at the start of the calendar year, replacing Steven Schumacher who joined Championship rivals Stoke City in December.
A product of the Liverpool academy, Foster made over 250 appearances during his playing career for the likes of Hereford United and Kidderminster Harriers.
He started his coaching career in May 2008, when he became assistant manager at League of Ireland club Galway United.
He was given the head coach role eight months later, leading the club to safety. Foster has also been part of the England age-grade set-up, being on the staff for the sides who won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2017 – when they were led by former Swans boss Steve Cooper - and the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2022.
Foster has most recently worked abroad, where he was assistant manager to ex-Rangers and Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard at Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq before moving to take over at Home Park.
WHO'S THE CAPTAIN?
Joe Edwards. The 33-year-old joined the Pilgrims during the summer of 2019. Edwards originally started his Argyle career in midfield, but he has more recently taken up the position of wing-back, underlining his versatility.
Edwards has been part of two promotions, and was the club’s player of the season during the 2020-21 campaign, which also saw him take armband after a career-ending injury to defender Gary Sawyer.
Starting his career at Aston Villa, Gloucester-born Edwards has made over 450 appearances during his career, which has included spells at Yeovil Town, Colchester United, Walsall and now Plymouth.
Over 200 of those appearances have been for the Pilgrims, and he has scored 22 goals for the club over a five-year period.
WHO ARE THE KEY MEN?
Morgan Whittaker is the Pilgrims topscorer this season with 15 goals and six assists so far. The winger joined from the Swans in the summer after a successful loan spell during the first half of last season, scoring nine and assisting seven before being recalled last January.
Before joining Swansea, Whittaker started his career at Derby County. He also had a loan spell at Lincoln City during the 2021-2022 season where he scored five goals and set up one in 17 appearances.
Whittaker has a WhoScored rating of 7.37 this season, claiming seven player-of-the-match awards so far.
Striker Ryan Hardie is a product of the Rangers academy. The Scotsman arrived at Plymouth from Blackpool in 2021 after a successful loan spell.
Hardie was a key player during their title-winning season last term, scoring 13 goals and making four assists for his teammates. He has continued to be an integral figure for the Pilgrims with 10 goals and four assists to his name this term.
The striker had several loan spells with Raith Rovers, St Mirren and Livingston in his homeland before signing for Blackpool in 2019.
He has represented Scotland throughout the age groups but is yet to receive a senior cap.
Bali Mumba has been an ever-present in the Plymouth midfield this season playing over 2,000 minutes already. The midfielder has registered two goals and three assists this season.
The Englishman spent eight years at Sunderland before signing for Norwich City in 2020 for a fee of £350,000. He was part of the Canaries team that were promoted to the Premier League in the 2020-21 season. However, he made just four league appearances over the course of that campaign.
He joined Plymouth on loan for the 2022-23 season and was part of the squad who won the League One title. He was also named in the PFA League One Team of the Year last season before moving permanently to the West Country side in the summer.