The Game
Argyle vs Swindon Town. Home Park. Tuesday, 10 November. 7pm. Jersey Mike's Trophy Group E.
The Opposition
After missing out on the Sky Bet League Two play-offs on the final day of the 2025/26 campaign, Swindon Town will have come into the current campaign hoping to have learnt from that experience. Under veteran manager Ian Holloway the Robins have improved drastically – they were bottom of the league not long after the 63-year-old took over. Now in his second full season in charge at The Nigel Eady County Ground, Holloway’s aim remains to get Swindon back in the third tier.
They began the campaign with a goalless draw at Northampton Town and followed it up with a win at home to local rivals Cheltenham Town. However, a 3-0 defeat against Oldham kept the Reds grounded. A pair of wins came next against Port Vale and Colchester United, but they then fell into a bad run, failing to win eight in a row in all competitions.
As of late, form has improved. The Reds’ Emirates FA Cup defeat against League One side MK Dons on Saturday was their first since the beginning of October. Since then, they have managed wins away at high-flying Barnet and at home to Rotherham United. Powered by the goals of Aaron Drinan, Holloway’s side are a match for anyone in the division and sit poised just one point off the play-off places.
The Gaffer
Ian Holloway will be a familiar face to supporters at Home Park, having previously been in charge of the Pilgrims between June 2006 and November 2007. The 63-year-old led Argyle to an 11th-place finish in the Championship during his first season at Home Park, before departing for Leicester City midway through the following campaign.
Before moving into management, Holloway had a 19-year playing career, making close to 600 appearances across spells at Bristol Rovers, Wimbledon, Brentford, Torquay United and Queens Park Rangers. He began his managerial career at Bristol Rovers, initially combining the role with his playing duties, before focusing solely on coaching. In 2001, Holloway made the move to another former club of his in QPR and spent five years there before heading to Home Park.
Since leaving PL2, his appointments have included Leicester City, Blackpool, Crystal Palace, Millwall and Grimsby Town. Among his managerial career highlights are two promotions to the Premier League, having guided Blackpool to the top flight through the Championship play-offs in 2010. He then achieved that same feat with Palace three years later.
After leaving Grimsby in 2020, Holloway spent almost four years away from the dugout but returned to management in October 2024, when he was appointed Swindon manager. He signed a new contract in March 2025, committing his future to the Robins until the summer of 2028.
Ones to Watch
The Robins’ talisman Aaron Drinan started his senior career at Waterford, where he helped the Irish side win the League of Ireland title in his debut campaign. Ipswich Town picked up the striker in 2018; he spent over three years at Portman Road, having loan spells at Sutton United, Waterford, GAIS and Ayr United. A permanent move to Leyton Orient followed; Drinan scored 20 times in 96 games for the O’s. Swindon Town picked up the Irishman nearly three years ago, where he has since starred scoring 44 times.
Matty Virtue was at Chelsea and then Liverpool as a youngster, captaining the Reds’ under-23 team after a loan to Notts County. In 2019, he was allowed to join Blackpool permanently and went on to spend over five years at Bloomfield Road. In that time, he was loaned to Lincoln City before joining Fleetwood, but was released in 2024. In his two campaigns with Fleetwood, the midfielder played 89 times, scoring 12 goals. Swindon Town recruited the 29-year-old when his contract expired at Highbury, and Virtue has since played 11 games for the Robins.
Experienced midfielder Tom Nichols was born in Somerset and came through the ranks at Exeter City. He went on to feature 113 times for the Grecians’ first team before being sold to Peterborough United. After just a season, Nichols was on the move again, this time joining Bristol Rovers. In his three years at Rovers, he featured regularly before a move to Crawley Town. Three seasons with the Reds followed before a shorter spell at Gillingham. His subsequent 11 month spell at Mansfield Town was successful, helping the Stags achieve promotion before joining Swindon Town, where he currently plays.
Previous Meeting
It was in this same competition that the two teams tonight last met, back in 2022. Two goals inside two minutes from academy duo Will Jenkins-Davies and Oscar Halls put the Greens ahead at The County Ground before Ryan Hardie sealed the result in the last few minutes. Swindon pulled one back in second-half stoppage time through Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, but it was not enough to prevent Steven Schumacher's side claiming all three points.
The Strip
Argyle will be sporting their green home kit for this game.
Argyle TV
Supporters unable to attend Argyle's Jersey Mike's Trophy fixture against Swindon Town tonight can follow the action live on Argyle TV.
7pm - Kick-off at Home Park, with live commentary from Charlie Price, who will be joined on co-commentary by Brian McGlinchey.
UK & Ireland Supporters
Due to EFL broadcast regulations, live video streaming is unavailable in domestic territories. However, you can listen to every Argyle game live throughout the season with an Argyle TV subscription - available for £5.50 per month or £55 for the year.
If you’re not a subscriber, you can still purchase an individual audio match pass for £2.50.
International Supporters
Live video streaming is available overseas - You can watch every Argyle game live with an Argyle TV International subscription, available for £30 per month or £200 for the year.
If you prefer, you can buy an individual video match pass for £10 per game.
Audio match passes are also available overseas for £2.50, giving you full commentary wherever you are in the world.
Click here to access Argyle TV and view our subscription and match pass options.
