List of Plymouth Argyle F.C. records and statistics

A group of footballers posing for a team photograph.
The Plymouth Argyle squad for the 1929–30 season, winners of the Football League Third Division South.

Plymouth Argyle Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Plymouth, Devon. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, following promotion from the 2022–23 EFL League One. The club was formed in 1886 as Argyle Football Club, a name which was retained until 1903 when the club became professional and were elected to the Southern Football League. The club also entered English football's premier knockout competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, for the first time that same year. The club joined the Football League in 1920, and have competed there since then, achieving multiple league titles, promotions, and relegations.

This list encompasses the major honours won by Plymouth Argyle, records set by the club, their managers and their players. The player records section includes details of the club's leading goalscorers and those who have made most appearances in first-team competitions. It also records notable achievements by Plymouth Argyle players on the international stage, and the highest transfer fees paid and received by the club. Attendance records at Home Park, the club's ground since 1901, are also included in the list.

Honours

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Plymouth Argyle have won multiple titles in domestic competition. They have won the third tier of English football four times, which is a record.[1] In their second season as a professional club they won their first title, the Western League, in 1905.[2] The club's most recent title came in 2004 when they won the Football League Second Division.[3]

Domestic

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League

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Winners (1): 2003–04
Winners (2): 1958–59, 2001–02
Runners-up (2): 1974–75, 1985–86
Winners (2): 1929–30, 1951–52
Runners-up (6): 1921–22, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27
Winners (1): 1912–13
Runners-up (2): 1907–08, 1911–12
Winners (1): 1904–05
Runners-up (1): 1906–07

Cups

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Winners (1): 1996

Player records

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Appearances

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Plymouth Argyle's appearance record is held by Kevin Hodges, who played 620 times for the club over the course of 15 seasons from 1978 to 1992. Hodges also holds the records for appearances made in league, FA Cup, and League Cup competition. The player to have made the most appearances in the current squad is Luke McCormick, with 350 (including 4 as a substitute) as at 19 February 2022.

  • Most appearances in all competitions: Kevin Hodges, 620.[4]
  • Most League appearances: Kevin Hodges, 530.[4]
  • Most FA Cup appearances: Kevin Hodges, 39.[4]
  • Most League Cup appearances: Kevin Hodges, 35.[4]
  • Youngest first-team player: Freddie Issaka, 15 years and 34 days (against Newport County, 31 August 2021).[4]
  • Oldest first-team player: Peter Shilton, 44 years and 21 days (against Burnley, 9 October 1993).[4]
  • Oldest debutant: Peter Shilton, 42 years and 199 days (against Charlton Athletic, 4 April 1992).[4]
  • Longest-serving player: Kevin Hodges, 14 years and 71 days (from 1978 to 1992).[4]

Most appearances

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Competitive, professional matches only, appearances as substitute in brackets.[5] Bold indicates still playing at the club.

# Name Years League [A] FA Cup League Cup Other [B] Total
1 England Kevin Hodges 1978–1992 530 (28) 39 (0) 35 (3) 16 (3) 620  (34)
2 Scotland Sammy Black 1924–1938 470 (0) 21 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 491   (0)
3 Scotland Fred Craig 1912–1930 439 (0) 28 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 467   (0)
4 England Johnny Williams 1955–1966 412 (1) 19 (0) 17 (0) 0 (0) 448   (1)
5= England Pat Jones 1947–1958 425 (0) 16 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 441   (0)
5= England Johnny Hore 1965–1975 400 (7) 17 (0) 23 (0) 1 (0) 441   (7)
7 England Paul Wotton 1995–2008
2012–2015
394 (35) 23 (0) 11 (1) 10 (1) 438  (37)
8 Republic of Ireland Mickey Evans 1990–1997
2001–2006
387 (75) 22 (2) 13 (2) 10 (2) 432  (81)
9 England Jack Leslie 1921–1934 384 (0) 17 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 401   (0)
10 Wales Moses Russell 1914–1930 375 (0) 25 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 400   (0)

Goalscorers

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Plymouth Argyle's all-time leading goalscorer is Sammy Black, who scored 184 goals for the club over the course of 14 seasons from 1924 to 1938. Black also holds the record for goals scored in league competition. The records for goals scored in FA Cup and League Cup competition are held by Wilf Carter, and Sean McCarthy respectively.

Top goalscorers

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Competitive, professional matches only. Matches played (including as substitute) appear in brackets.[6]

# Name Years League [A] FA Cup League Cup Other [B] Total
1 Scotland Sammy Black 1924–1938 176 (470) 8 (21) 0 (0) 0 (0) 184 (491)
2 England Wilf Carter 1957–1964 134 (254) 10 (11) 4 (10) 0 (0) 148 (275)
3 England Tommy Tynan 1983–1985
1986–1990
127 (262) 6 (23) 6 (17) 6 (8) 145 (310)
4 England Jack Leslie 1921–1934 132 (384) 4 (17) 0 (0) 0 (0) 136 (401)
5 England Maurice Tadman 1947–1955 108 (240) 4 (13) 0 (0) 0 (0) 112 (253)
6 England Jack Vidler 1929–1939 95 (242) 8 (14) 0 (0) 0 (0) 103 (256)
7 England Fred Burch 1906–1915 89 (227) 3 (12) 0 (0) 0 (0) 92 (239)
8 England Kevin Hodges 1978–1992 81 (530) 4 (39) 0 (35) 2 (16) 87 (620)
9 England Ray Bowden 1927–1933 82 (145) 3 (8) 0 (0) 0 (0) 85 (153)
10= England George Dews 1947–1955 76 (257) 5 (14) 0 (0) 0 (0) 81 (271)
10= Republic of Ireland Mickey Evans 1990–1997
2001–2006
73 (387) 4 (22) 1 (13) 3 (10) 81 (432)

International

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Transfers

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Record transfer fees paid

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# Fee Paid to For Date Notes
1 £1.15 Million Norwich City England Bali Mumba 21 July 2023
1= £1.15 Million Swansea City England Morgan Whittaker 17 July 2023
2 £750,000 QPR England Simon Walton 6 August 2008
3 £500,000 Cardiff City Scotland Steven MacLean 18 January 2008 [8]
4 £400,000 Debreceni VSC Hungary Péter Halmosi 17 May 2007 [9]
5= £300,000 Swansea City New Zealand Rory Fallon 19 January 2007 [10]
5= £300,000 Manchester United England Sylvan Ebanks-Blake 14 July 2006 [11]
5= £300,000 Port Vale England Peter Swan 22 July 1994 [10]

Record transfer fees received

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# Fee Received from For Date Notes
1 £2.5m Hull City Hungary Péter Halmosi 16 July 2008 [12]
2 £2.25m Ipswich Town England David Norris 31 January 2008 [13]
3 £1.5m Wolverhampton Wanderers England Sylvan Ebanks-Blake 11 January 2008 [14]
4 £1.5m Everton England Dan Gosling 3 January 2008 [15]
5 £750,000 Southampton Republic of Ireland Mickey Evans 3 March 1997 [16]

Managerial records

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  • First manager: Frank Brettell, from 1 August 1903 to 31 May 1905.[17]
  • Longest-serving manager by time: Bob Jack, two spells, from 1 August 1905 to 31 May 1906, and 1 August 1910 to 1 April 1938.[17]
  • Longest-serving manager by matches: Bob Jack, managed the club for 1,093 matches over a period that spanned 28 years.[17]

Club records

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A man wearing a blue football shirt, white shorts, and white socks, standing on a football pitch.
Dan Gosling, the club's first million pound teenager.

Matches

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Firsts

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  • First match: Argyle Football Club 0–2 Caxton, a friendly match, 16 October 1886.[18]
  • First Western League match: West Ham United 0–1 Plymouth Argyle, 1 September 1903.[19]
  • First Southern League match: Plymouth Argyle 2–0 Northampton Town, 5 September 1903.[19]
  • First FA Cup match: Plymouth Argyle 7–0 Whiteheads, first qualifying round 31 October 1903.[19]
  • First Football League match: Plymouth Argyle 1–1 Norwich City, Third Division, 28 August 1920.[19]
  • First League Cup match: Plymouth Argyle 2–0 Southport, first round, 12 October 1960.[19]

Wins

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Defeats

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  • Record defeat: 0–9 against Stoke City in Second Division, 17 December 1960.[1]
  • Record FA Cup defeat: 1–7 against Tottenham Hotspur, first round replay, 19 January 1910.[19]
  • Record League Cup defeat: 0–6 against West Ham United, second round, 26 September 1962.[19]
  • Most league defeats in a season: 31 defeats out of 42 games (during the 1945–46 season).[19]
  • Fewest league defeats in a season: 4 defeats out of 42 games (during th a season: 35 in 42 games (during the 1920–21 season, Third Division).[19]
  • Most league goals conceded in a season: 120 in 42 games (during the 1945–46 season, Football League South).[19]
  • Fewest league goals conceded in a season: 24 in 42 games (during the 1921–22 season, Third Division South).[19]

Points

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  • Most points in a season (two for a win): 68 in 42 games (during the 1929–30 season, Third Division South).[19]
  • Fewest points in a season (two for a win): 27 in 42 games (during the 1967–68 season, Second Division).[19]
  • Most points in a season (three for a win): 102 in 46 games (during the 2001–02 season, Third Division).[19]
  • Fewest points in a season (three for a win): 46 in 46 games (during the 1994–95 season, Second Division).[19]

Attendances

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Footnotes

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A. a b Appearances made in the abandoned 1939–40 season and subsequent wartime competitions are unofficial and therefore excluded.

B. a b Appearances and goals in the EFL Trophy, Full Members Cup, Watney Cup, Anglo-Scottish Cup, and Football League Group Cup.

References

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General

  • Danes, Ryan (2009). Plymouth Argyle: A Complete Record. Plymouth: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-710-8.
  • Cowdery, Rick (2009). Plymouth Argyle: Miscellany. Plymouth: Pitch Publishing. ISBN 978-1-905411-40-5.
  • Riddle, Andy (2002). Plymouth Argyle: 101 Golden Greats. Westcliff-on-Sea: Desert Island. ISBN 1-874287-47-3.
  • Knight, Brian (1989). Plymouth Argyle: A Complete Record 1903–1989. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 0-907969-40-2.

Specific

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Achievements Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Greens on Screen. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  2. ^ Western League Greens on Screen. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  3. ^ Second Division Greens on Screen. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Statistics Database Greens on Screen. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  5. ^ Appearances Made Greens on Screen. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  6. ^ Goals Scored Greens on Screen. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Internationals Greens on Screen. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  8. ^ MacLean Joins Pilgrims Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  9. ^ Plymouth Keen On Halmosi BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  10. ^ a b Fallon Completes Plymouth Switch BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  11. ^ Plymouth Net Striker Ebanks-Blake BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  12. ^ Halmosi's Premier Chance Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  13. ^ Norris Ties Up Town Switch Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  14. ^ Wolves Capture Ebanks-Blake Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  15. ^ Toffees Snap Up Gosling Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  16. ^ Mickey Evans Soccerbase. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  17. ^ a b c Managers Archived 1 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine Greens on Screen. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  18. ^ Plymouth Argyle History BBC Devon. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Argyle History Greens on Screen. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g Attendances Greens on Screen. February 2010.
  21. ^ "Bolton crush Plymouth to win Papa Johns Trophy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 April 2023.