The Pilgrims will play their third and final Southern Group B game at the Memorial Stadium on Tuesday night
Argyle defender Brendan Galloway applauds the travelling Green Army after the 3-1 League One defeat by Huddersfield Town at Accu Stadium on Saturday, November 8, 2025 (Photo by Isabelle Field/Getty Images)
Injuries and international call-ups are leaving Tom Cleverley with little scope for squad rotation in Plymouth Argyle’s Vertu Trophy tie away to Bristol Rovers tomorrow night.
Argyle, who have already booked their place in the last 32 of the competition after home wins against Cheltenham Town and Tottenham Hotspur U21s, will be without nine players for their third and final Southern Group B game at the Memorial Stadium.
Cleverley continues to be without the injured Xavier Amaechi, Ayman Benarous, Joe Edwards, Jack MacKenzie, Julio Pleguezuelo and Caleb Watts.
In addition, three of the Pilgrims’ starting line-up in the 3-1 League One defeat away to Huddersfield Town on Saturday are now away on international duty – Brendan Galloway (Zimbabwe), Conor Hazard (Northern Ireland) and Law McCabe (England U20s).
Given Argyle are on a run of five successive defeats – four in the league and one in the Emirates FA Cup – a win even in the Vertu Trophy and with their qualification already guaranteed for the knockout stages, would be a much-needed boost for them.
Luca Ashby-Hammond is set to be Argyle’s goalkeeper in the absence of Hazard. The 24-year-old summer signing started the first nine league games of the campaign while Hazard recovered from a knee injury, with his last appearance coming in a 1-0 home defeat by Peterborough United on September 20.
On-loan Charlton Athletic defender Alex Mitchell will likely replace Galloway while Cleverley will have to weigh up what formation to set his side up in as he considers who comes into the team for McCabe.
Cleverley said: “I lose three players from the squad (against Huddersfield) so there won’t be much rotation. It will be a game to try and find some rhythm, confidence, belief that we are missing.
“I don’t have the luxury of being able to rotate anything on Tuesday. A lot of the team, minus the three internationals, will have to go again.”
Apprentice Seb Campbell made his first team debut in the Vertu Trophy victory over Spurs U21s and also became the club’s youngest ever goalscorer at the age of 16 years and 279 days.
He was recently an unused substitute for the 2-0 defeats away to Mansfield Town in the league and Wycombe Wanderers in the Emirates FA Cup first round.
On whether Campbell could get a chance to play against Bristol Rovers, Cleverley said: “Possibly. I obviously have to look after these guys.
“When you think of putting too many young players into an environment that is difficult at the minute you have to be careful with that, you don’t want to scar them long term.
“Seb trains with us day in day out, he’s an exciting young player and hopefully in a bit more of a nicer environment on Tuesday we can get him some minutes. They are decisions I will have to make.
“It’s time we got that winning feeling back, and got some rhythm, belief and confidence, especially in the final third because we are missing that at the minute.”
Darrell Clarke’s Bristol Rovers are 17th in League Two after losing their last four games, including a 1-0 home defeat by Gillingham on Saturday.
In the Vertu Trophy, they have won 5-4 on penalties against Spurs U21s after a 4-4 draw in their first group game and then went to Cheltenham and defeated them 1-0.
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