Plymouth Argyle set for big boost ahead of Doncaster Rovers clash - Tom Cleverley will be overjoyed | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle are set to welcome back their star striker following a three-match suspension which Argyle picked up six points during

Everything had seemed to go from bad to worse for Plymouth Argyle when Lorent Tolaj was sent off in a home defeat against Northampton Town, but a six-point surge in the three games that he's been absent for has meant that the ban has flown by.

The Pilgrims hadn't scored a non-Tolaj goal in League One since their 4-0 win at Burton Albion way back in September.

The run had spanned eight games before their 1-0 win at Wycombe Wanderers last Tuesday, and Owen Oseni's goal in that big away win was followed up by Joe Ralls' first for the club on Saturday in a win via a similar 1-0 scoreline against Rotherham United.

When the Swiss star was dismissed, people started fearing the worst. Tolaj was one of, if not the only, standout players at Home Park this season, and having lost their fifth game in six in that 3-0 home defeat to the Cobblers, nobody gave Tom Cleverley's side a chance in their following three.

However, six points out of nine, and no goals conceded in open play, now surprisingly have Argyle on the front foot ahead of Tolaj's return this weekend, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Plymouth Argyle will have Lorent Tolaj back for the Doncaster Rovers trip

Back-to-back wins for Argyle now have them at the bottom end of the congested pack of League One sides. Tom Cleverley's side may still be in the relegation zone, but they're now just three points off a place in the top half.

Their upcoming fixture is arguably their most important of the season, as they travel to Doncaster Rovers, who are just above Plymouth on goal difference.

There are expectations that it may be another cagey affair, similar to the one at Port Vale towards the back end of November, where the losers of that match ended the weekend bottom. In that tight game, the difference maker was none other than Lorent Tolaj.

That winner at Vale Park was the fourth consecutive Tolaj goal for the Pilgrims, and at that point, many felt that the only person who could score for Plymouth was the Swissman.

The 24-year-old even extended that run to five in their EFL Trophy knockout win over Leyton Orient, the game following his red card against Northampton.

Obviously, since then, Argyle have picked up two wins without Tolaj in the side, but despite this, there's no doubting that they're better with their star striker in the squad, and his return against Doncaster will be warmly welcomed.

Especially now that the Pilgrims have their eyes on finally escaping the drop zone.

Tom Cleverley might be starting to crack the code at Plymouth Argyle, and Lorent Tolaj's return will help massively

Six of Plymouth's last seven games in all competitions have ended 1-0, with three wins coming in that time.

After a start to the campaign where Argyle were seen as the entertainers from a neutral stance, Tom Cleverley's side have now resorted to being hard to break down and hard to beat.

The last three league games without Tolaj have overseen a massive improvement in defence, with Plymouth not conceding at all in open play — Antoni Sarcevic's penalty being the only goal conceded by Tom Cleverley's side in that time.

The last two wins have come against strong, in-form sides in Wycombe and Rotherham, too, and the six points have started to see a newfound hope and optimism that this Plymouth side is starting to recover from their hangover caused by Championship relegation.

Now, the feeling around Home Park is a bit more positive, and Tolaj's return will help boost that tenfold ahead of a big battle near the bottom this weekend against Doncaster.

Momentum is everything, and Tom Cleverley's side is building it at a rapid pace ahead of the Christmas period.

If they can pick up yet another win and climb out of that bottom four ahead of a home game against fellow relegation-battling Reading on Boxing Day and win again, Plymouth could go into the new year confident that Tom Cleverley may actually be the man to help guide the Pilgrims back up to where they feel they deserve to be.