Plymouth Argyle

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth head coach Miron Muslic says his players showed 'we are alive' in the relegation fight after a stunning win at Portsmouth.

Argyle ended a 20-match winless streak on the road in the league, their worst in 41 years, by holding on with 10-men through a dozen minutes of stoppage time to seal a famous win at Fratton Park which took them three points from safety.

Muslic told BBC Radio Devon: ""It is big, no doubt. I think it's a big moment for us. After being not capable to win for almost a year (since 5 April, 2024) finally we rewarded ourselves after a very tough moment against Sheffield Wednesday (a 3-0 home defeat on Saturday).

"This team showed again that we are alive and they can count on us."

Ryan Hardie returned to the side after missing six games with a back injury and laid on the first goal before scoring the second on the break.

"That was the spirit we needed, we've actually had it over the past couple of weeks, the only thing we missed was this offensive threat, this transition threat, this goal threat," Muslic said.

"Hardie was out for five or six games and we missed somebody who could run in behind. Tonight we had three players very dangerous in transition. We scored two beautiful transition goals, it all went to plan, I'm very happy.

"It feels brilliant. It was very much needed. When the fourth official told me 11 minutes (added on) I knew we were going to make it."

The Greens return to Home Park to face Derby, two points and two places above them on Saturday and Muslic added: "The next opportunity to continue is on Saturday and we have to grab this opportunity with both hands.

"It's a big one. It's always about us and not what the other team are doing.

"We are still where we are, that hasn't changed, but we are alive.

"It felt fantastic for us, I can only imagine how beautiful it was for (our travelling fans). We are in this together."

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth Argyle's battle to avoid relegation lost momentum because of the absence of forward Ryan Hardie, according to boss Miron Muslic.

The Devon side's leading scorer returned as a substitute in Saturday's home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday, having missed their previous three Championship games as well as the FA Cup exit at Manchester City.

"One of the reasons we have struggled over the past games is because Hardie was not involved," Muslic told BBC Radio Devon.

"He is about to return and this will give us the goal threat offensively so we can continue to defend well and have this danger man up front."

Hardie has scored seven goals in all competitions for Plymouth this season, including the winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round, but picked up a back injury against Blackburn last month.

It kept him out of league draws with Luton and Cardiff and a loss at Hull City.

"We have the green light for him and he is selectable - he is not 100% but will give us the threat we need," added Muslic.

"In our competition you have to have moments where you are attacking and creating chances up front, and this momentum switched without Hardie."

Plymouth are bottom of the table and will visit Portsmouth in the Championship on Wednesday.

These two clubs have had differing fortunes as they prepare for the second Dockyard Derby of the season on Wednesday (19:45 GMT).

Portsmouth's win over Leeds at the weekend has taken them 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Meanwhile, Plymouth have dropped to the bottom of the Championship and are six points adrift of safety.

• Portsmouth have failed to win any of their past eight league games against Plymouth Argyle (D5 L3), since a 3-0 victory at Fratton Park in September 2018.

• Plymouth Argyle have won each of their past two league games against Portsmouth and will be looking to win three in succession for the first time since 1981.

• Portsmouth have lost only one of their previous 22 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games at Fratton Park (W15 D6), winning three of their five such games this season (D1 L1).

• Plymouth have failed to win any of their past 20 away league games (D5 L15); it's the first time they've failed to win 20+ successive away league matches since November 1984 (24).

• Ryan Hardie has scored four goals in his past four league appearances against Portsmouth for Plymouth, scoring a brace at Fratton Park in September 2021.

Image source, Getty Images

Plymouth Argyle midfielder Malachi Boateng said he and his team-mates must keep their composure as they try and fight against relegation from the Championship.

Argyle suffered a morale-shattering 3-0 loss at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday to leave them six points adrift of safety with 10 games to go.

Having started well, Argyle collapsed after conceding the first goal after 15 minutes.

"We have to go again, we have to keep our heads and keep pushing," Boateng said.

"Everyone sets out with the right intentions, the right things to do, the right drive and motivation before games.

"But sometimes it doesn't recognise on the pitch. Sometimes I feel like we need to show that emotion and show that drive on the pitch, even if we go a goal down, just try and climb again."

Having gone on a run of one loss in seven games in all competitions in late January and through February - during which they moved to within one point of safety - Argyle have failed to score in their past two league matches, including a 2-0 loss at relegation rivals Hull City last week.

"Everyone wants to be as consistent as they can, no-one's got the intention of just being good one week and bad one week," said the former Hearts player, who signed a three-and-a-half year deal at Home Park last month.

"But I feel like it's a group of lads that are willing to learn as well, which is good.

"I think we need to stick together at this point."

Image source, Getty Images

Plymouth forward Ryan Hardie, Leeds United winger Dan James, Portsmouth wide man Josh Murphy and Norwich City striker Josh Sargent are the four nominees for February's Championship player of the month award.

Hardie only played 101 minutes across three league games for Argyle last month but still netted four goals, scoring twice from the bench late on in the 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion and another double in the 5-1 thrashing of Millwall.

James was in scintillating form for the Whites, scoring three goals and providing four assists in five games in February.

The 27-year-old netted one, set-up two and won a penalty in the 7-0 hammering of Cardiff, scored twice in the 4-0 win at Watford and laid on both goals in the vital 2-1 victory at title rivals Sheffield United.

Murphy provided four assists and scored one goal in five games for Portsmouth as they pulled further clear of the relegation zone in February with a draw and three wins, including a 2-1 victory against QPR in which the winger curled in a wonderful effort.

Sargent was prolific throughout February, scoring five goals in five games for Norwich City to take his overall tally for the league season to 11 in 21 appearances.

Plymouth will seek to get back to winning ways in the Championship as Sheffield Wednesday head to Home Park on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The second-bottom Pilgrims are effectively seven points from safety and are winless in four league games, taking just two points and scoring two goals, since the thumping 5-1 win over Millwall on 12 February.

The Owls have one win in six and have lost their past three games to fall seven points and seven spots behind the play-off places.

• Plymouth Argyle have won each of their past four home league games against Sheffield Wednesday, scoring exactly three goals in three of those victories.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won each of their past two league games against Plymouth Argyle and could win three in succession against the Pilgrims for the first time in the EFL.

• Since losing five in a row at Home Park between February and April 2024, Plymouth Argyle have only lost four of 20 home Championship games (W8 D8).

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost each of their past three Championship matches and haven't had a longer losing run since losing the first four games of the 2023-24 season under Xisco Munoz.

• Sheffield Wednesday have conceded 27 goals in the final 30 minutes of Championship matches this season, shipping seven goals in this time period across their last five league games alone.

Hull City welcome Plymouth Argyle to the MKM on Tuesday (19:45 GMT) for a game with big implications at the foot of the Championship.

After their FA Cup adventure ended at Man City on Saturday, the Pilgrims find themselves second-bottom, three points behind the fourth-bottom Tigers, albeit with a far inferior goal difference.

A win for City could take them up to 19th, five points clear of the relegation zone.

• Hull City have won only one of their past seven meetings with Plymouth Argyle in the Championship (D2 L4), failing to win each of their last three (D2 L1) since a 1-0 away victory in February 2008.

• Plymouth Argyle are unbeaten in their past three league games against Hull City (W1 D2) and could avoid defeat in four straight meetings with the Tigers for the first time since doing so across the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons (W1 D3).

• Hull City have won the fewest points at home in the Championship this season (13 – W2 D7 L8), failing to win each of their five home league matches in 2025 (D2 L3), their longest winless start to a calendar year at the MKM Stadium since 2020 (P7 D1 L6).

• Plymouth Argyle are the only team in England's top four tiers yet to win an away game this season (D5 L12); they are the eighth Championship side to fail to win each of their first 17 away matches of a campaign, with each of the previous seven suffering relegation.

• Since his first Hull start in mid-January, Joe Gelhardt has had the most shots for the Tigers in the Championship (15) as well as created the joint-most chances (7 – level with Eliot Matazo).

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport England

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth Argyle captain Adam Randell remains an injury doubt for his side's key trip to Championship relegation rivals Hull City on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old midfielder missed Saturday's FA Cup loss at Manchester City with a quadricep injury he suffered in the 1-1 draw with Cardiff City the weekend prior.

The Pilgrims are three points behind Hull and would move up a place to 22nd in the Championship if they can register a first away league win of the season.

"He's right now in a 50-50 point for Tuesday night," Plymouth boss Miron Muslic told BBC Sport.

"It was a 'get smart and wise' decision to not get him involved at all at Manchester City to aim to keep him selectable and able for the next couple of weeks.

"The competition is clearly priority number one.

"Adam is in a very good way, sustainably performing, and we have 12 finals to go, we will need Adam in those kind of games."