Plymouth Argyle can move to the top of League One for the first time this season with a win over Burton Albion on Saturday, a benchmark of the division's competitive nature as Notts County continue their own search for consistency. For Notts County, currently 20th with seven points from seven games, the challenge is to match the kind of sustained progress their rivals are demonstrating ahead of their own next fixture at Peterborough.
Tom Cleverley, the Plymouth manager, credits his team's rise to a clear tactical framework and squad belief. "We're not getting carried away with ourselves, it's only September," Cleverley said. He pointed to a strong baseline of performance and the players' freedom to express their quality within the system as key factors in their recent run. The team's defensive solidity has been a cornerstone, with the side conceding just 7 goals in their 7 league matches so far, a key reason they are in contention.
Steady progress after rebuild
Plymouth's current position is a stark contrast to less than a year ago, when they sat at the bottom of the league. Since the turn of the year, they have won 18 of 29 matches, a points haul bettered only by two Championship clubs. This momentum was built on a strong finish to last season, with eight wins from their final twelve games, and a more settled squad after a summer with less player turnover than the previous year. "That's a long period of time and that gives us confidence that we can sustain it," Cleverley added.
For Notts County, the task is to build a similar platform. Their recent form reads one win, two draws and two defeats from the last five, leaving them eight points adrift of the leaders. The focus now shifts to the next match, an away trip to face 23rd-placed Peterborough on 3 October. Manager Stuart Maynard has highlighted the need for greater attacking threat, with his side scoring only 9 goals in their opening 7 fixtures.
Plymouth Argyle host Burton Albion at Home Park on Saturday at 15:00 BST, with top spot the immediate prize.
