Plymouth Argyle's EFL Trophy progress offers another reason for optimism

Plymouth Argyle have secured top spot in Southern Group E of the EFL Trophy after a late 2-1 victory over Swindon Town at Home Park.

17-year-old midfielder Seb Campbell scored a stoppage-time winner to complete an unbeaten group-stage campaign for the Pilgrims.

A rotated Argyle side looked set to settle for a draw (and penalty shoot-out) after Ronan Curtis's first-half penalty had been cancelled out by Antwoine Hackford, but Campbell struck in the ninth minute of added time to send the Home Park crowd home happy.

The victory means the Pilgrims finish the group with eight points from their three matches, having beaten Crystal Palace Under-21s 5-1 in their opening fixture before drawing 2-2 away at Newport County and winning the subsequent penalty shootout 5-4.

Their reward is a home tie in the Round of 32, with the draw and opposition still to be confirmed.

Plymouth Argyle boss Tom Cleverley once again handed opportunities to several younger players, with the likes of Joe Mwaro, Jared Rendle, and Frankie Maund among those who featured.

It was another opportunity for the club's emerging talent to gain senior experience in a competitive environment, rather than simply a friendly or development fixture.

Argyle’s youngest-ever goalscorer Campbell is enjoying a particularly fruitful Trophy campaign, having started all three group games, and picking up two goals and two assists in the process.

The result also followed Saturday's 4-0 FA Cup victory over Alvechurch, meaning the Pilgrims have now progressed in two cup competitions within the space of a few days.

Cleverley has previously made clear that he does not regard cup competitions as an excuse to simply enjoy a day out.

Speaking ahead of the Alvechurch fixture, he said: "With my mentality, you never approach any cup competition thinking 'let's have a big day out'. You approach it to win."

The Pilgrims have good reason to take the competition seriously, having enjoyed some memorable runs in recent seasons.

In the 2022/23 campaign, during their last season in League One before promotion to the Championship, Argyle reached the final at Wembley.

Their hopes of lifting the trophy were ended by Bolton Wanderers, who ran out 4-0 winners.

After returning to League One for the 2025/26 season, Argyle again enjoyed a strong campaign in the competition.

They progressed through the group stage and two knockout rounds, beating both Leyton Orient and Bristol Rovers away from home before eventually suffering a 2-1 quarter-final defeat away to Luton Town.

The EFL Trophy has long been a source of debate, particularly because of the inclusion of Under-21 sides and the relatively modest attendances at some fixtures.

Argyle's two home group matches this season attracted 2,187 spectators against Crystal Palace Under-21s and 2,508 against Swindon Town.

Those figures represent approximately 11 per cent and 13 per cent of Home Park's 19,500 capacity respectively.

While the attendance debate is unlikely to disappear, from Argyle's perspective the benefits are clear: competitive minutes for academy players, opportunities fringe players to impress and another route towards potential silverware.

Winning the group also guarantees home advantage in the Round of 32, a potentially important benefit they did not have last season as the competition moves into its more decisive stages.

Before then, attention returns to League One, with a significant away trip to Sheffield Wednesday next up on the agenda.

For Cleverley, the challenge is to maintain momentum across all competitions, with the Pilgrims now unbeaten in four games as a result of Tueday evening’s victory.

With a place in the knockout rounds secured, there is every reason for the Pilgrims to believe that another extended EFL Trophy run is possible.