TT PREVIEW

Steve Harris – @steveharris84

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MATCH DETAILS

Match details: Torquay United vs Plymouth Argyle

Competition: Pre-Season Friendly

Venue: Plainmoor, Torquay

Date: Wednesday 23th July 2025

Kick-off: 7.30pm

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE FACT FILE

Year founded: 1886

Nickname: The Pilgrims

Last season’s league finish: 23rd in the Championship

Notable honours:

Division Three/Division Two/League One:

Champions: 2003-04, 2022-23

Division Three South:

Champions: 1929-30, 1951-52 & 1958-59

Division Four/Division Three/League Two

Champions: 2001-02

EFL Trophy:

Runners-up: 2022-23

MANAGER – TOM CLEVERLEY

Tom Cleverley was appointed as Plymouth Argyle manager during the summer of 2025, following the departure of Miron Muslic to Schalke. Former Manchester United, Everton and England midfielder Cleverley had previously been in charge of Watford, the club where he finished his playing career, after a successful spell as interim manager following the departure of Valerian Ismael.

At international level, Cleverley was capped 13 times by England at Under-21 level and also won 13 senior caps. He also appeared for the Team GB in the London 2012 Olympics.

PLAYER PROFILE – CONOR HAZARD

Goalkeeper Conor Hazard joined Argyle from Scottish champions Celtic, in the summer of 2023, for an undisclosed fee.

From Downpatrick in Northern Ireland, Conor became a Celtic player just after his 16th birthday, in 2014. His first taste of first-team action came in 2018, when he joined Scottish second-tier side Falkirk on loan. After just 12 games for the Bairns, Hazard made his debut for the Northern Ireland national team and currently has four caps to his name.

Further loan spells followed in the Scottish Championship with Partick Thistle and Dundee before he made his competitive debut for Celtic in December 2020. He appeared in a Europa League tie at Celtic Park against Lille, a game that Celtic won 3-2. Later that week, he made his league bow, keeping a clean sheet as the Bhoys beat Kilmarnock.

The following week, Conor played in the Scottish Cup final, against Hearts, a game that had carried over from the previous season, curtailed because of the Covid pandemic. The game finished 3-3, after extra-time, with Celtic winning a penalty shoot-out in which Hazard saved two penalties. Hazard made seven Celtic appearances in all, all in the space of six weeks during that season.

In early 2022, Hazard headed to Finnish top-flight side HJK Helsinki and played 39 games, keeping 14 clean sheets, as they won the Finnish league, and also competed in the Champions League and Europa League.

PLAYER STATS – Position: Goalkeeper, DOB: 05/03/98, Height: 1.98m, Previous Club: Celtic

Championship Stats 24/25: Appearances: 25, Goals Conceded 39, Clean Sheets 2, Yellow/Red Cards 4/0

LAST MEETING

Saturday 27th July, 2024, Torquay United 0 Plymouth Argyle 2

Torquay United manager Paul Wotton remained focused on the positives after the Gulls fell to a narrow defeat against his former club Plymouth Argyle.

A Ryan Hardie penalty and a strike from Bali Mumba sealed a win for the Pilgrims in front of former Argyle boss Neil Warnock, who was watching on as United’s football advisor along with the Gulls’ new owner’s, the Bryn Consortium, in a game that was punctuated by a number of medical emergencies in the crowd.

“It was a fantastic work out for us, they (Plymouth Argyle) are a Championship side and I thought we coped well with them at times,” said Wotton. “I’d like to thank all the fans for coming today, there were a few interruptions but I hope those supporters are OK. To have a crowd like we did today for a pre-season friendly game was fantastic and it shows how big the club is. Overall I thought there were a lot more positives than negatives.”

His opposite number, Wayne Rooney, was pleased with his side’s display. “It was a strange first half, it was very stop start but I thought we started really well,” said Rooney. “Overall I’m pleased with the players.”

The Pilgrims got off to a flying start as Hardie twice went close inside the opening minute. Torquay then gradually eased their way into the game and their first real chance came in the eighth minute when Brad Ash threatened with an angled shot which looped over the crossbar.

On 20 minutes, the game was delayed briefly due to a medical emergency in the crowd. When play eventually restarted, Argyle were mainly restricted to long range efforts until Freddie Issaka fired tamely wide on 36 minutes after making a bursting run. Shortly afterwards, play was stopped again due to a second medical emergency in the stands.

Five minutes after the restart for the second half, the Pilgrims were awarded a penalty after Ash felled former Gulls’ loanee Will Jenkins Davies, which Hardie stepped up to convert. A minute later, United looked well placed to equalise as sub Cody Cooke nodded a free-kick from Dan Hayfield wide. Moments later, Cooke went close again as he headed a Matt Carson corner behind.

On the hour mark, Argyle doubled their lead when Callum Wright saw a strike from 20 yards parried by Torquay keeper James Hamon before Mumba slotted home from the rebound.

TUFC SUMMER TRANSFER BUSINESS

In: Monashe Sundire (Tamworth), Louis Dennis (Bromley), Callum Dolan (Fleetwood Town), Sonny Fish (Crawley Town), Jordan Thomas and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (Yeovil Town), Matt Worthington (Oldham Athletic)

Out: Dean Moxey (Tiverton Town), Offrande Zanzala (Chester FC), Lirak Hasani (Truro City), Brad Ash (Bath City), Ben Seymour (Taunton Town season-long loan), Omar Mussa, Oscar Threlkeld, Finley Craske

COYY – STEVE

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