Harvey White starts: The Plymouth Argyle XI Tom Cleverley should play v Stockport on Saturday | OneFootball

Tom Cleverley should go with this starting eleven for Plymouth Argyle's first game of the League One campaign

Plymouth Argyle begin their second campaign back in League One on a wave of momentum, with plenty of optimism that they can compete at the top end of the table this time round.

The Pilgrims will be looking to avoid a start similar to last season, when they propped up the table in mid-November, instead looking for performances akin to the second half of the campaign. Indeed, only runaway leaders Lincoln City posted a better record in 2026 than Tom Cleverley's side.

Because of that awful start, though, Plymouth didn't finish in the top six, despite occupying sixth place heading into minute 90 on the final day.

Going one better, or even finishing in the top two, will be the goal this year, and beating last season's play-off finalists Stockport County will go a long way towards building confidence that they can do just that.

Here's the starting eleven that Tom Cleverley should send out for the curtain-raiser against the Hatters on Saturday.

GK - Murphy Cooper

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Plymouth upgraded their goalkeeper position this summer, bringing in QPR's Murphy Cooper, and he had a pretty easy debut against Exeter City in the EFL Cup on Monday.

Two years ago, the 24-year-old kept 16 clean sheets in 37 third-tier games for Stevenage, and after a bit of a disappointing campaign last year on loan at Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday, he'll be hoping to recapture that form from 2024/25 at Home Park this year.

RB - Wes Harding

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While Exeter head into the upcoming League Two campaign with a rather thin squad and not too much hope and optimism, Plymouth should still be credited for a solid defensive display against their Devon Derby rivals, allowing just eight shots and one on target all game.

Therefore, it would make sense for Tom Cleverley to opt for an identical back four to the one on Monday, starting with Wes Harding, who captained the side at right-back.

The former Millwall man was brilliant during his loan spell at Home Park last season, and will be looking to return to the Championship with his new club this term.

CB - Mathias Ross

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Mathias Ross was a staple in the backline during Plymouth's incredible run in 2026 last season, missing just one game — a 1-0 loss against Rotherham United.

Therefore, the Pilgrims lost just once in 15 games during the latter stages of the campaign with the towering Dane in the backline, and he'll be relied upon to continue that strong record into the beginning of this year.

CB - Alex Mitchell

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Securing Alex Mitchell on a permanent deal after his loan spell last season from Charlton Athletic would have been one of the most important things Plymouth had to do this summer.

The 24-year-old, like Ross, was undroppable in the second half of the 2025/26 campaign, and those two created quite the partnership at centre-back, which should be continued in the early stages of this year.

LB - Alex Hartridge

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Exeter academy product Alex Hartridge was the hero for Plymouth against his former side in the Devon Derby on Monday, netting the first of two late goals in the 2-0 win.

Tom Cleverley seems to be quite keen on full-backs who can quite easily play centre-back this year, providing more of an aerial threat across the entire backline, so the 27-year-old will likely keep his place at left-back ahead of Stockport.

CM - Harvey White

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One of the main reasons why Argyle may opt for four six-foot-plus defenders across the backline this season is due to the set-piece capabilities of fellow new arrival Harvey White, who provided the cross for Hartridge on Monday.

The former Stevenage man was seen as a coup for Tom Cleverley's side when they prised him away from the Lamex Stadium this summer, and he showed immediately why on his debut.

With plenty of room to improve, too, the 24-year-old will be a key player in the middle of the park at Home Park this year.

CM - Malachi Boateng

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Tom Cleverley has a decent selection headache in midfield, with Bradley Ibrahim waiting in the wings, who was an unused substitute in the EFL Cup. However, with plenty of recovery time between Monday and this Saturday, it would make sense to keep the same midfield pivot.

Malachi Boateng started every game for Plymouth in League One last season, something which, this time last year, you wouldn't have expected, after he started once and was left on the bench numerous times in the Championship in 2024/25.

But the 24-year-old was a pleasant surprise in the engine room, even playing every minute of action in 2026. He'll continue to be one of the first names on the team sheet.

RM - Ronan Curtis

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The arrival of Ronan Curtis in January from Port Vale raised a few question marks at the time, as the 30-year-old hardly started games for the side bottom of League One, but the wideman proved to be an astute bit of business for the Pilgrims.

He netted two and assisted four times in the second half of last season and started every game for Tom Cleverley's side, proving that he still has those qualities that made him one of the division's better wingers during his time at Portsmouth.

Nothing in the summer has threatened his position, so expect him to continue starting off the right.

CAM - Will Evans

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Plymouth got the full Will Evans experience on his debut against Exeter. Brilliant in the build-up, created a few decent chances for himself, but ultimately saw those efforts go begging.

The 29-year-old, who signed from Mansfield Town last week for £400,000, was one of the biggest xG underperformers last season, scoring eight from 13.58 expected. His first year at Field Mill saw him net 14 from around 10 expected, though.

If he can get back to that level, Plymouth will have themselves a solid pickup. He isn't at the level of key departure Lorent Tolaj, but, arguably, the man leading the line is the man who will take on that scoring mantle.

Evans just has to chip in behind him, and Tom Cleverley will give him plenty of opportunity to do so.

LM - Freddie Issaka

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For the sake of making one change to the side that knocked Exeter out of the EFL Cup on Monday, Tom Cleverley should give young academy product Freddie Issaka a run out from the off.

The 20-year-old already has 40 appearances for Argyle, including 19 in the Championship during the 2024/25 campaign. He spent part of last year out on loan at Truro City, where he scored twice in 14 National League games.

It may only have been for a minute or so, but Issaka looked lively on Monday, and if given an extended run in the side, could be in for a fun breakout year.