The Game
Burton Albion v Argyle. Pirelli Stadium. Saturday, 27 September. 3pm. Sky Bet League One.
The Opposition
Burton Albion are bottom of Sky Bet League One, with five points from seven games that they have played. They have one win this season in the league – and it came from the first game, when they defeated Mansfield Town 2-1.
They followed up with a 3-2 loss at Barnsley, then a goalless draw at home with Port Vale, before losing 2-1 at Stockport County.
Burton have not scored since then in league action, losing at home to Luton Town and Lincoln City, and drawing 0-0 at Huddersfield Town.
This game pits the team in the division that have scored the fewest goals (Burton) against the team that have conceded the most (Argyle).
The Gaffer
Gary Bowyer spent time as an Academy coach at Derby, then moved on to a similar role at Blackburn in 2004, aged 33. He rose through the coaching ranks at Ewood Park, taking over twice as caretaker manager twice before taking the top job in 2013.
Two years later, he was dismissed, and would later take over at Blackpool. His two seasons at Bloomfield Road included promotion from League Two via the play-offs, and his next task was taking the reins at Bradford, but he lasted less than a year.
After a spell back at Derby as under-23s boss, he took over at Salford City, but was removed from the post in May 2022, just over a year into the job.
Next was a trip to Dundee, where Bowyer presided over a Scottish Championship title win in 2023, but was dismissed within a week of claiming their promotion, after what was seemingly a disagreement behind the scenes. He took over at Burton in December 2024, and hauled then to safety, despite looking nailed on for relegation.
The Squad
Charlie Webster is one of four players to have started all seven league games for Burton, and the only one to have scored two league goals. The 21-year-old central midfielder was a Chelsea academy product, but never played for the Blues. He did have a loan at Heerenveen, but left Chelsea in 2024, signing for Burton, and playing 35 times last season.
Jake Beesley has also played all seven games, and has one goal. The 28-year-old forward is a bit of a late bloomer, having not really made the grade the Chesterfield, then only scored four goals in 31 games for Salford. He also had loans at Boston United and Solihull Moors, signing for the latter permanently, but quickly moved on to Rochdale. Two seasons at Spotland led to a move to Blackpool, and then to Burton this summer.
Defender Toby Sibbick is another ever-present. He has played at centre-back all season, although is capable of playing at right-back too. The 26-year-old played for Wimbledon, Barnsley and Hearts, before a season with Wigan Athletic last term. The English-born Uganda international moved to Burton in the summer.
Previous Meetings
The last of 16 games between these sides came in April 2023, when Niall Ennis scored in a 1-0 victory at Home Park to secure the Pilgrims’ promotion from League One. Earlier that season, the sides had drawn 2-2 at the Pirelli Stadium, with goals from Ryan Hardie and Bali Mumba bringing Argyle to a 2-1 lead from being a goal down, but Adrian Mariappa scored deep into injury time to snatch the Brewers a point.
A Strip for the Trip
Argyle will be wearing their pink third kit for this game.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s coverage will begin with Argyle Breakfast at 10am, hosted by Erin Black and Aaron Cusack. Charlie Price will host the Pre-Match Show, which starts at midday, alongside Katie Middleton, and then hand over to the stadium for live commentary from Rob McNichol and former Argyle forward Joel Grant.
Match passes to watch this game are available outside the UK & Ireland, while domestic supporters can buy an audio pass. Click here to purchase your Argyle TV match pass.
