Argyle fell to defeat against Bolton Wanderers in their opening away fixture of the 2025-26 campaign.
The hosts took the initiative, breaking the deadlock from a corner 20 minutes in, Eoin Toal the scorer.
Steven Schumacher’s side found their second on the hour mark, Mason Burstow finishing a tidy counter-attack, after early pressure in the second-half.
Argyle boss Tom Cleverley opted to make one change to the team that started last weekend’s opening-day defeat against Barnsley.
Bim Pepple made his debut for the Greens, taking the place of Brendan Wiredu, allowing a more orthodox front-man to spearhead the attack.
Luca Ashby-Hammond retained his place in goal, with an unchanged back-four ahead of him; Matty Sorinola at right-back, Victor Palsson and Kornel Szucs in the centre, and Brendan Galloway at left-back.
The two midfield anchors, Bradley Ibrahim and Malachi Boateng, were supported by Caleb Watts as a more attacking option in the centre of the pitch.
Bali Mumba and Xavier Amaechi offered threat as wingers, supporting Pepple who led the line for the Pilgrims at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
The game had an energetic start, with Bolton pressing relentlessly and Argyle having to search for passing lanes among a flurry of swarming white shirts.
The game followed a similar course for the opening 20 minutes, neither side were able to break through the other and test the opposing goalkeeper.
It was with their first real chance of the half that the hosts took the lead. Josh Sheehan’s floated corner was well met by Toal, who had climbed above Galloway at the back-post.
The Bolton captain guided his header back across goal, Ashby-Hammond only able to palm the ball further into the far corner of the net.
The goal seemed to have boosted the confidence of the Trotters’ attackers; both Amario Cozier-Duberry and Thierry Gayle came close from seemingly speculative efforts in the minutes that followed the opener.
It was these two players in particular who were causing Cleverley’s side the most problems; the pace and directness of the wingers not only created chances for Bolton, but meant that Argyle full-backs Sorinola and Galloway had to retreat to marshal them.
Pepple was the outlet the Greens were trying to use to progress up the pitch, the striker's strength was evident for all to see, and he looked in moments to be causing unease for the opposition centre-backs.
Argyle headed into the break trailing, but it was not through a lack of trying. The Greens will have been happy to contain Bolton’s threat on the counter and taken hope from the glimpses of creativity they had shown themselves.
Schumacher will have been disappointed with his side’s attacking potency, early in the second-half, Gayle and Max Conway both having that should have called Ashby-Hammond into action.
The early pressure finally broke, Bolton doubled their lead on the hour mark.
The move began with Wanderers keeper Sharman-Lowe, his pinpoint long ball found the advanced Jordi Osei-Tutu on the touchline. The right-back had plenty of time to feed Cozier-Duberry down the line, and it was all too simple for the 20-year-old to pick out Burstow in the penalty area, who swept the ball past the Argyle 'keeper to make it two-nil.
Substitutes came from Cleverley in an attempt to alter the course of the afternoon, Jamie Paterson, Tegan Finn, and Caleb Roberts replacing Pepple, Amaechi, and Ibrahim.
Further reinforcements came from Wiredu and Ayman Benarous, who came on for Palsson and Galloway.
The youthful exuberance of the substitutes provided Argyle with a boost in energy and creativity, but the Bolton backline stood firm and seemed impenetrable.
Argyle’s best chance of the half came when Paterson’s long-range free-kick curled perfectly into the path of the onrushing Szucs, his header too high and over the crossbar from ten yards out.
With the hosts keen to retain their lead, their attacking threat reduced as time went on, making it even tougher for the Pilgrims to create chances to get themselves back into the game.
In the end, it was a goal in each half from Bolton that undid Argyle. The Greens struggled to create opportunities, and the hosts proved clinical with theirs.
Cleverley’s side are back in action on Tuesday night when they host QPR in the first round of the Carabao Cup, before returning to league football away at Lincoln City next Saturday.
Bolton: 1 Teddy Sharman-Lowe, 4 Xavier Simons (21 Ethan Erhahon, 82’), 6 George Johnston, 8 Josh Sheehan, 11 Thierry Gayle (12 Josh Dacres-Cogley, 65’), 14 Jordi Osei-Tutu (33 Charlie Warren, 82’), 17 Joel Randall, 18 Eoin Toal (capt), 19 Amario Cozier-Duberry, 25 Max Conway, 48 Mason Burstow (45 John McAtee, 74’). Substitutes: 13 Nathan Broome (gk), 3 Chris Forino-Joseph, 16 Aaron Morley.
Goals: Toal 20, Burstow 61
Booked: Johnston 14, Sheehan 45+2
Argyle: 21 Luca Ashby-Hammond, 6 Kornel Szucs, 10 Xavier Amaechi (39 Tegan Finn, 68’), 11 Bali Mumba, 17 Caleb Watts, 19 Malachi Boateng, 22 Brendan Galloway (14 Ayman Benarous, 76’), 23 Bradley Ibrahim (24 Caleb Roberts, 68’), 27 Bim Pepple (7 Jamie Paterson, 62’), 29 Matty Sorinola, 44 Victor Palsson (capt) (4 Brendan Wiredu, 76’). Substitutes: 13 Zak Baker (gk), Owen Oseni.
Booked: Sorinola 55, Ibrahim 63, Mumba 87, Watts 90
Referee: Ross Joyce
