Here we go again — another new season is upon us.
It’s been a long wait for competitive football to return, and Argyle have had to wait a little bit longer than everyone else. Tom Cleverley’s side begin their 2026/27 campaign under the Home Park lights and in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Monday night.
Their opponents? You may know them…
Argyle vs Exeter City
🏆 EFL Cup first round
🗓 Monday 10 August 2026
🕒 8.00pm
🏟 Home Park
📺 Sky Sports Main Event
The wait is finally over. Precisely 100 days after Argyle’s play-off hopes were dashed at the end of last season, the Pilgrims will be back at Home Park to begin their new competitive campaign on Monday night. However, this is no ordinary start to the season.
The first visitors to the Theatre of Greens in 2026/27 are none other than Argyle’s nearest rivals, Exeter City. When does a fierce local derby ever get scheduled for the first week of the season? When it’s a Carabao Cup first round tie. A knock-on effect of the expanded World Cup has pushed the start of the league season back a week, so the Carabao Cup is taking centre-stage instead.
For what it’s worth, Argyle come into this game off the back of an unbeaten pre-season, winning five of their six games and conceding only two goals. It’s hard to read too much into beating the likes of Plymouth Parkway and Tavistock, but the goalless draw against Championship outfit Bristol City offered plenty of encouragement.
Crucially, it’s been a far more settled summer compared to 12 months ago. The permanent arrivals of Wes Harding and Alex Mitchell have added continuity, while Murphy Cooper, James Storer, Alex Hartridge and Harvey White are already settling into life in PL2. We can expect at least a couple more to arrive, but the foundations are already in place.
While league ambitions will dominate the months ahead, opening the season against local rivals in front of the Sky Sports cameras adds an extra layer of intrigue. It’s the first real opportunity to see how Cleverley’s new-look side performs when the result really matters.
🆚️ EFL Cup fixtures
Saturday 3pm unless stated
Bristol City 0-1 Walsall
Wolves v Port Vale (Friday, 7.45pm)
Wycombe v Stevenage (Friday, 7.45pm)
Middlesbrough v Wrexham (Friday, 8pm)
Cambridge v Barnet (Saturday, 1pm)
QPR v Millwall (Saturday, 2pm)
AFC Wimbledon v Newport
Barnsley v Wigan
Bradford v Rochdale
Bristol Rovers v Peterborough
Bromley v Reading
Burnley v Notts Co
Burton v Blackburn
Cardiff v Swindon
Crewe v Accrington
Derby v Lincoln
Fleetwood v Chesterfield
Gillingham v Luton
Grimsby v Blackpool
Leicester v Northampton
Leyton Orient v Oxford
Norwich v MK Dons
Preston v Huddersfield
Salford v Shrewsbury
Sheff Wed v Bolton
Stockport v Doncaster
Stoke v Oldham
Swansea v Birmingham
Watford v Crawley
West Ham v Portsmouth
Cheltenham v Charlton (Saturday, 5.30pm)
Colchester v Southampton (Saturday, 5.30pm)
Rotherham v West Brom (Saturday, 5.30pm)
Mansfield v Sheff Utd (Sunday, 4pm)
This is no ordinary cup tie
This may only be the Carabao Cup, but this is no ordinary cup tie. Every match against Exeter City has a significance, regardless of what competition it’s in. Win on Monday, and the club and supporters will get a huge boost and momentum going into the new season. Lose, and the mood may sour before the league campaign has even begun.
It’s been so long since the two teams have met in the League Cup that the last time they did so was when the competition was a two-legged affair back in the 1985/86 season, when the Grecians prevailed 3-2 on aggregate. Argyle have never won a League Cup tie against Exeter in four attempts, winning just one of the ten individual matches played across those four meetings.
But that’s ancient history. In the here and now, Argyle are an upwardly mobile League One side taking on an Exeter team that was relegated to League Two at the end of last term. Cleverley’s boys will be the favourites going into this tie, without a doubt, but derby duels aren’t always true to form.
City may have been relegated to League Two, but they took four points off Cleverley’s side last term. Argyle’s 2-0 defeat at St James Park last October was one of the low points of the campaign, and the 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in April proved significant, given Argyle went on to finish two points outside the play-offs.
With this game taking place at a packed Home Park, it will give the new arrivals an instant introduction to what playing for Argyle means, and what this rivalry means for both sets of supporters.
Whether Argyle go out in the first round of the cup or make it into the second round won’t have any bearing on how successful the season will be. But the result — and more importantly, the performance — could set the tone for the campaign ahead.
📰 This Week at Home Park
The first Fans’ Forum of the season will take place on Friday 14 August. The panel will comprise chairman Simon Hallett, chief executive officer Paul Berne and director of football Derek Adams. Argyle are inviting questions ahead of the event, which can be emailed to media@pafc.co.uk with the subject ‘August Fans’ Forum’.
Argyle came from behind to win 4-1 at Western League Premier outfit Tavistock in their final match of pre-season on Tuesday night. Brendan Wiredu (2), James Sharpe and Caleb Roberts found the net for a youthful Argyle team.
Baidoo setback leaves attack looking thin
The 2026/27 season hasn’t even begun yet, and the injuries that have blighted the last two campaigns are already rearing their ugly heads. The news that Michael Baidoo, star of pre-season, is ‘out for months’ with a hamstring injury has put the cat amongst the pigeons on the eve of the new season.
Cleverley appears to be sticking with the 4-4-2 that served Argyle so well in the second half of last season, but Baidoo’s injury means the front four positions currently pick themselves due to a dearth of other options. Barring any transfer market developments between now and Monday night, Bim Pepple and Owen Oseni will lead the line, with Ronan Curtis and Xavier Amaechi occupying the wide positions.
Speaking of transfer market developments, Argyle have reportedly agreed a fee of £400,000 plus add-ons for Mansfield Town forward Will Evans, according to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph. The 29-year-old can play either up front or on the left, so could be the ideal addition to Cleverley’s squad. He is reportedly due to have a medical on Friday, so could be involved on Monday night.
Whether it’s Will Evans or someone else, Argyle are expected to add further reinforcements before the end of the transfer window — and maybe even before kick-off on Monday night — so this situation should only be a temporary one. But right now, Cleverley has very little room for manouevre in the final third.
Predicted XI:
Cooper; Harding, Ross, Mitchell, Hartridge; Curtis, Boateng, White, Amaechi; Oseni, Pepple.
🔍 Go Deeper
📝 Read Chris Errington’s summary of the Will Evans transfer story on Plymouth Live.
🔊 The team at Pilgrims Podcast has come together to review pre-season. Have a listen to it here.
💬 You can keep track of developments on the rumoured Will Evans signing, and Argyle fans’ feelings on it, via the thread on PASOTI.
Know the Opposition: Exeter City
Although they managed to take four points off Argyle in their two league meetings, last season was not a happy one for Exeter City. The Grecians won only one of their last 20 games as they plummeted down the table and through the trapdoor into League Two. Matt Taylor returned to the club as manager in March after Gary Caldwell left for Wigan, and he has quite the task on his hands.
Financial issues forced City to slash their budget last season, and relegation has only deepened the problem. Finnish midfielder Ilmari Niskanen has left for Blackpool, while 19-goal top-scorer Jayden Wareham is being heavily linked with a move away, with Argyle rumoured to be among the clubs keeping an eye on him.
Argyle will know all about Wareham, with the 23-year-old scoring City’s second goal in the 2-2 draw at Home Park in April. Taylor has used a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-4-2 in pre-season, so assuming he’s still at the club on Monday, he’ll be expected to lead the line in either system.
Attacking midfielder Reece Cole is another name that may strike fear into Pilgrims’ hearts. The 28-year-old scored against Argyle in both games last season while playing behind Wareham, and played on the right of the 4-4-2 in their final pre-season friendly. If Argyle can keep him and Wareham quiet, they’ll fancy their chances.
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Until then, thanks for reading.
Matt Friday
Founder, The Argyle Briefing