Meet the opposition | Plymouth Argyle
As Swansea City prepare to face Plymouth Argyle at the Swansea.com Stadium, we take a closer look at the Pilgrims.
What’s their story?
Plymouth were 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 in 2023 after winning the League One title and racking up 101 points.
They were in the relegation dogfight for much of last term, but managed to retain their second-tier status. They will be hoping to repeat the feat over the final weeks of this season.
How’s their form?
Improving at a key time. Plymouth have taken seven points from their last four games to raise their hopes of beating the drop.
They beat Norwich at Home Park at the weekend to leave them four points from safety, albeit that they sit bottom of the table.
Plymouth have won just once on their travels this season, that win coming against Portsmouth last month.
Who’s the gaffer?
Miron Muslic. The Austrian-Bosnian coach has made a positive impression since replacing Wayne Rooney at Argyle, and led them to the last 16 of the Emirates FA Cup with a stunning win over Premier League leaders Liverpool.
After looking in danger of being cut adrift at the bottom, two wins in their last four games meaning the charismatic Muslic still has them firmly in with a chance of escaping the drop.
Born in Bosnia, but with his family fleeing to Austria when he was young due to the Bosnian War.
He had a 17-year playing career, starting with Wacker Innsbruck and also taking in spells with Worgl, Novalja, Reichenau, Hall, Ried, Gmunden, Sattledt and Union Weisskirchen.
Muslic moved into coaching full-time at Ried, initially working with the under-18s before being promoted to the first team, and having a spell in caretaker charge.
He had a stint at the helm for Florisdorfer AC, before briefly returning to Ried.
His next position saw him become an assistant coach at Cercle Brugge, and he would become head coach for a two-year spell between 2022 and 2024, leading them to a sixth-place finish in 2023.
Who’s the captain?
Joe Edwards. The 34-year-old joined the Pilgrims during the summer of 2019. Edwards originally started his Argyle career in midfield but his versatility has seen him feature in a number of different positions for the south-west club.
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 24 goals for the club over a five-year period, including the one to secure survival in victory over Hull at the end of last term.
He has had his injury issues this season, with Adam Randell leading the side in his absence, but Miron Muslic has spoken of how impressed he has been with Edwards' team ethic on and off the pitch.
Who are the key men?
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 League One 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 eight goals and three 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.
Mustapha Bundu has the most assists of any Plymouth player this season, with five to his name.
The Sierra Leone international spent part of his youth football development with the Craig Bellamy Academy and Hartpury College, before short spells with Newquay and Hereford, winning the FA Vase with the latter.
A trial with Danish club Aarhus led to a three-year contract and he enjoyed a breakout campaign when they finished third in the Superliga in 2020.
He made a move to Belgian giants Anderlecht that summer, and had loan stints with FC Copenhagen, Aarhus and FC Andorra before sealing his switch to Argyle in 2023 ahead of their return to the Championship.
Imposing defender Nikola Katic, who stands at 6ft 4in, joined Plymouth on loan from FC Zurich in January and has made a positive impression.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina international started his career in the youth ranks at HNK Stolac before having stints in the senior ranks with NK Neretvanac Opuzen and Slaven Belupo.
He moved to British football with Glasgow Rangers in 2018 but suffered a serious knee injury that kept him sidelined for much of their title-winning season.
He spent the 2021-22 campaign on loan at Hadjuk Split, where he won the Croatian Cup, before his switch to Switzerland with Zurich in 2022.