Argyle were given a Home Park humbling in their opening game of the 2026/27 Sky Bet League One campaign, losing 3-1 to Stockport County.
The visitors dictated matters from the outset, with Jack Diamond and Kyle Wootton scoring in the first half, and Ryan Glover adding another shortly after half-time. Substitute Xavier Amaechi did get one back for Argyle, but it was too little, too late.
Argyle made one change to their starting line-up from the Carabao Cup win over Exeter City, with Amaechi replaced in the midfield by Matty Sorinola, who had come on to good effect in Monday’s Devon Derby victory.
Sorinola played on the right of a midfield four, with Ronan Curtis on the left, and Harvey White and Malachi Boateng in between then. Ahead and behind, personnel was unchanged, with Bim Pepple and Will Evans playing as a front two, and Alex Hartridge, Alex Mitchell, Mathias Ross and Wes Harding comprising the back four in front of goalkeeper Murphy Cooper.
Stockport had the first significant chance of the game, with attacking midfielder Harry Wood promenading his way through the middle of the park, Argyle backing off and inviting him to advance, before a whistled shot went not far wide.
The visitors, who had started well, opened the scoring on 13 minutes, in scruffy style. Diamond reached the area, cutting in and out to put off his attendant defender, Ross. With Mitchell arriving on the scene, the connection on Diamond’s shot was less than he would have wanted, but Sorinola’s lunge to block it affected the trajectory, which took the ball beyond Cooper and into the goal.
To be fair to Stockport, they looked very bright in the opening stages, and it was not just their bright orange kit, which they seemed to be wearing in homage to the third kit Argyle had launched that morning. County looked very content in their 3-4-3 shape, and their possession style was dragging Argyle around.
The Pilgrims had a shot on target via Curtis on 24 minutes, but Stockport soon scored a second, and it was a goal of Argyle’s own doing.
Mitchell got caught on the ball just inside his own half, and his hesitancy meant that when he tried to step past the two players bearing down on him, he ran into trouble. Suddenly, County broke, and had men to spare. Diamond crossed low, Cooper made a brilliant stop to deny Wood, but the ball basically hit the following-up Wootton, and rolled into the net.
Argyle had a glorious chance on 34 minutes. It came from Boateng's industriousness, driving down the right side, riding a tackle, then clipping a ball into the centre for Evans. It looked all set, but he headed over.
It is then a little mystifying as to how Stockport did not go 3-0 up. Argyle felt Pepple was fouled, but nothing was given, and County attacked on their right. Diamond picked out Wootton with a low ball in, and he looked long odds-on to score, but Cooper made a great save to ensure the game was not beyond Argyle, even before half-time.
Four minutes after the break, though, it was.
Argyle had made an interval change, bringing on Julio Pleguezuelo for Mitchell, but they had barely settled into the second period when Glover added a third for the away side.
The right wing-back sauntered in off his flank, and while his finish was excellent, it followed a pattern of the afternoon where Argyle gifted a lot of space to their opposition.
The Greens made further changes, with Amaechi coming on for Sorinola, and Bradley Ibrahim replacing Evans. It was the endeavour of the pair that led to Argyle having something resembling a chance, just before the 70-minute mark. Between them, they bustled into the area, but Amaechi was off-balance when taking a shot that dribbled wide.
A minute or two later, White crafted space for Boateng, whose 20-yarder went not too far wide. Argyle were certainly playing better but, then again, when a team is 3-0 up against you, they are a lot more likely to sit off and afford you that.
That said, Argyle got a goal when Amaechi picked up a ball on the edge of the penalty area, with County having not cleared a corner, calmly chesting down and driving in a low finish.
There were other moments towards the end, as Argyle tried to salvage as much as they could from the game, but it was beyond them.
Argyle: 1 Murphy Cooper, 2 Mathias Ross, 6 Malachi Boateng, 7 Harvey White (4 Brendan Wiredu, 89), 9 Will Evans (23 Bradley Ibrahim, 65), 11 Ronan Curtis, 15 Alex Mitchell (5 Julio Pleguezuelo, half-time), 22 Alex Hartridge, 27 Bim Pepple, 29 Matty Sorinola (10 Xavier Amaechi, 57), 45 Wes Harding (capt). Substitutes: 21 James Storer (gk), 8 Joe Edwards, 26 Tegan Finn.
Goals: Amaechi 78
Cards: Pleguezuelo 74
Stockport: 1 Oliver Whatmuff, 4 Lewis Bate, 5 Ethan Pye, 6 Eoghan O'Connell, 7 Jack Diamond (9 Benony Breki Andresson, 70), 10 Oliver Norwood (capt, 18 Lewis Fiorini 82), 15 Ryan Glover (17 Ryan Rydel, 70), 16 Harry Wood (20 Jason Adigun, 60), 19 Kyle Wootton, 23 Ben Osborn (14 Tayo Edun, 60), 24 Kyron Gordon. Substitutes: 12 Tom Wilson-Brown, 22 Mikael Mandron.
Goals: Diamond 13, Wootton 26, Glover 49
Cards:
Attendance: 16,244 (887 away)
Referee: David Rock
