The Game
Argyle v Wigan Athletic. Saturday, 4 October. 3pm. Sky Bet League One.
The Opposition
Wigan are 14th in the League One table, with 12 points from 10 games. They have won three, drawn three and lost four thus far.
Wigan’s three wins have all come at home. They beat Northampton Town on the opening day of the season, and then Peterborough United two games later. They have also beaten Doncaster Rovers at the Brick Community Stadium.
The first two victories alternated with losses at Leyton Orient and Luton Town, and there followed a run of three draws in a row, against Rotherham United, Stockport County and Lincoln City.
Then came the Doncaster win, but since then Wigan have lost to Bolton Wanderers away, 4-1, and then 2-0 at home to Cardiff City.
The Gaffer
47-year-old head coach Ryan Lowe was a striker during his playing days, featuring on the pitch for a variety of clubs, most notably Shrewsbury Town, Bury and Crewe Alexandra. In January 2017, Lowe returned to Bury to become a player-coach, later being appointed caretaker manager midway through the 2017/18 campaign.
After another spell as player-coach and then caretaker manager, Lowe was given the gig permanently in May 2018. In his first full season in charge, the Liverpudlian steered Bury to League Two promotion but left the Shakers shortly after, amidst a financial crisis which later saw the club expelled from the English Football League.
Lowe would then head to Devon to join Argyle, bringing the likes of Danny Mayor, Will Aimson, Byron Moore, and assistant manager Steven Schumacher with him. Lowe went on to secure another League Two promotion when the season was prematurely curtailed due to COVID. Lowe would spend another season-and-a-half at Home Park before resigning to join Preston North End midway through 2021/22.
After a relatively successful few seasons at Deepdale, Lowe left and later joined Wigan midway through last season, where he currently remains in post.
The Squad
Only Sam Tickle (below) has started all ten league games for Wigan this season. The goalkeeper, 23, has now made 139 appearances for Wigan, a club he was released by, aged 16. He returned the following year, and had to be patient as a backup for several seasons, but is now in his third year of being number one, and has not missed a game since.
Summer signing Fraser Murray has three goals for Wigan this season. Likely to play wide on the right, 26-year-old Murray signed from Kilmarnock in the close season, having made over 100 appearances for Killie. Prior to that, he was with Hibernian.
Wigan’s squad includes several former Pilgrims. Defender Will Aimson has started eight games this season at centre-back, and is a promotion-winner with Argyle; Steven Sessengnon, who had 10 games on loan with Argyle in 2022, has played five times this season for Wigan, mostly at right-sided centre-back in a three; Callum Wright is on loan with Wigan from Home Park, but is not eligible to play in this game.
Previous Meetings
The last time these sides met was in the 2021/22 season. In what was Ryan Lowe’s last league game as Argyle boss, Wigan won 2-1 at Home Park, with Danny Mayor’s goal not enough to earn any points for the Greens. In the away fixture, later that season, it was a draw, with Luke Jephcott’s goal putting Argyle in front in a 1-1 result.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s coverage will begin with Argyle Breakfast, starting at 10am, brought to you by Erin Black and Aaron Cusack. Erin will return for the Pre-Match Show, from 2.30pm, alongside Marc Edworthy, before commentary of the game comes from Charlie Price and Ian Stonebridge.
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.
