Boss claims side are a ‘different animal’ to last season and backs them to fare well

RYAN Lowe sees no reason why Plymouth Argyle cannot continue to challenge at the top end of League One this season.

The Pilgrims have surprised many people and pundits with the results they have achieved during the first two months of the 2021/22 campaign.

They are in third position, with 20 points from their opening 11 games, following their entertaining 2-2 draw away to Lincoln City on Saturday.

Argyle would have been joint top of the table with Wigan Athletic had they not conceded a controversiallyawarded 90th minute penalty equaliser.

It was the second successive away game where the Pilgrims had to settle for a 2-2 draw after leading late on, with the fixture away to Portsmouth on September 21 being the other one.

Their form at the start of this season is in stark contrast to the end of last term, when they picked up just eight points from the final 15 games as they slid all the way down the table to 18th.

That resulted in Lowe carrying out a major overhaul of his squad and six of his 10 summer signings were in the starting line-up against Lincoln, a couple on the bench and the two others out injured.

The Pilgrims’ manager said: “We are a different animal this year, we are a different breed. We have got different players, we are on the front foot.

“There is not many teams that will go to Lincoln and go right on the front foot with them because they are a good team.

“The Portsmouth and the Lincoln games, we need to be taking maximum points to keep driving at the top end of the table.”

Argyle are unbeaten in 10 league games, and have won five of them, ahead of their game against Burton Albion at Home Park this Saturday.

Lowe said: “I’m absolutely over the moon with the start we have had, with one loss in 11 but as most managers and most coaches will tell you, you always want that little bit more.

“The fans know what we are doing, everyone is happy, the board are happy. We see where we are, we know we can compete now with good clubs and good teams in this league and that’s what we will continue to do.

“We have just got to keep going, keep building, keep picking up points, keep scoring goals and keep playing the way we play, and I’m sure we will have a good season.”

At one stage during the game at Lincoln, with Argyle leading, the 700-strong travelling Green Army were singing ‘We are top of the league, say we are top of the league’ because of the scores around the division at the time.

It did not stay that way, but the fact that the fans could even sing that song was a sign of the Pilgrims’ progress at the start of 2021/22.

Lowe said: “It is a good reflection, and I appreciate that, but as I have said we are a different animal this year. we want to go toe-to-toe with these teams.

“Lincoln were in the play-off final last year and were unlucky not to get promoted to the Championship. These are clubs that we look at and think ‘Okay, well why can’t we be in and around there?’

“There is no guarantee that we will do that, but if we keep playing football the way we are then I don’t see no reason why we can’t be challenging at the top end of the table.”