Match Preview: Brentford v Plymouth

Brentford FC

·8. Januar 2025

Match Preview: Brentford v Plymouth

Brentford host Plymouth Argyle at Gtech Community Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon (3pm kick-off GMT).

Thomas Frank's side go into the game following a 5-0 win at Southampton in the Premier League, while the Pilgrims have drawn both of their two Championship fixtures since former boss Wayne Rooney departed the club.

Analysis, team news, match officials and more. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the tie.

Pre-match analysis

Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: Argyle's away form an increasing problem

Managerless Plymouth Argyle travel to Gtech Community Stadium to face Brentford in the third round of the FA Cup this Saturday, hoping to end a 15-game winless streak away from home this season.

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While Plymouth have turned their own ground - Home Park - into one of the most formidable fortresses in the top four tiers over recent campaigns, they have fared considerably less well on their travels, and three draws and 12 losses from 15 away games across all competitions this season tells its own story.

Bolton Wanderers (35 wins) are the only team with more EFL wins at home than the Pilgrims (34) over the past three seasons, but their stuttering form away from the 'Theatre of Greens' has become an increasing problem - one that the recently departed Wayne Rooney was unable to solve.

However, Plymouth recorded a 0-0 draw at Stoke in the Championship last weekend, under the interim managerial duo of coach Kevin Nancekivell and club captain Joe Edwards, and the Pilgrims will hope to build on that clean sheet against Brentford this weekend.

Currently bottom of the Championship, Plymouth's defensive issues have been central to their difficult season so far. In total, they have shipped 53 goals from 25 league games this season, roughly in line with their xG against, and have leaked an alarming 35 goals in 14 away contests.

What makes Plymouth's defensive struggles even more sobering is that the Devon club have only managed to score three away league goals; their goal difference on the road currently stands at -32.

Brentford, on the other hand, have been in prolific form on their own patch in 2024/25 and the Bees (27 goals) remain top of the pile in the Premier League when it comes to home goals scored this season.

Although Plymouth currently rank as the joint-lowest scorers in the Championship with 24 goals, they do have a proven goalscorer in their ranks whom Brentford will need to keep a close eye on.

Former Bees striker Andre Gray may have left the Pilgrims recently after his short-term deal expired, but Morgan Whittaker remains at Plymouth and the 24-year-old's ability to score goals from long range should be noted by Thomas Frank and his team.

Named in the Championship's Team of the Season last year, Whittaker hit 19 goals and supplied eight assists for the Pilgrims in the second tier in 2023/24, and he scored more goals (six) from outside the box than any player in the division.

Much like Brentford's very own Bryan Mbeumo (whose volley against Aston Villa last season remains his only non-left-footed Premier League goal), Whittaker possesses a wand of a left peg and this has been responsible for 16 (73 per cent) of his 22 Championship goals over this season and last.

With Whittaker now back to full fitness following a foot injury that sidelined him for nearly all of December, the Brentford keeper will need to be attentive to Whittaker's prowess from remote shooting positions.

To finish on a Brentford-related stat, it is worth noting that despite losing to Arsenal 3-1 in their last outing at home, the Bees did shade the possession stats against the Gunners (50.5 per cent v 49.5 per cent).

Frank's side have now enjoyed the lion's share of possession in eight of their 12 matches at Gtech Community Stadium this term, a trend perhaps indicative of Brentford aiming to exert greater control in games on their own turf.

That said, Brentford have won all four of their home games this season when they have had an inferior possession share (versus Newcastle, Wolves, Southampton and Palace), so make of that what you will!

Scout report

Dan Long, Sky Sports: Some positivity around Plymouth post-Rooney

It had been such a long time since Plymouth had played Championship football - 13 years to be precise - that staying in the division for a second consecutive season after winning the League One title in 2022/23 had to be the club’s first and most important aim last term.

And there was nothing in their results during the first half of the season that suggested they would be anywhere but in some form of fight for survival later down the line.

When Steven Schumacher decided to leave for Stoke six days before Christmas 2023, the Pilgrims were six points above the bottom three after 22 games. In truth, it was only by virtue of their strong home form, given their run of seven defeats and four draws in 11 games on the road.

The form did not change for the better after former England youth coach Ian Foster took over; 1.18 points-per-game in the first 22 under Schumacher became 0.83 points-per-game in the 18 games under the ex-Kidderminster striker and he was sacked on 1 April, with six games still to play.

“We have to balance long-term stability against short-term decisions, and we have given Ian as long as possible to see if results could improve,” said Plymouth chairman Simon Hallett. "Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case, and we feel now is the right time to make a change to give us the best chance of securing survival."

Director of football Neil Dewsnip steered the ship thereafter, with three wins and a draw helping to secure survival by the margin of just one point on the final day.

Wayne Rooney then took over as manager in the summer. Many expected him to learn from his previous mistakes, change people’s opinions and deliver, given the manner in which Birmingham’s decision to bring him in had failed so spectacularly.

Instead, there has been a horrible sense of déjà vu - and the 4-0 thumping against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough set the tone. Again, had it not been for the home form, Plymouth would surely have been cut adrift long ago.

17 points from the first 16 games was fine. Nothing more. But then things started to make a turn for the worse. A 6-1 hammering at Norwich preceded a 4-0 defeat to Bristol City.

"It was another big embarrassment if I am honest,” said Rooney after the latter. “Away from home, nothing I am saying to the players seems to be getting through. When we go a goal down, the attitude is to try and keep it that way, which is not a good place to be in.

"I came to the club to improve it and still believe I can do that."

Rooney was given five more games to turn things around, but one point from a 3-3 ding-dong against Middlesbrough - with two more defeats either side - was, understandably, not deemed sufficient and, on New Year’s Eve, he was sacked.

There is no getting away from the fact this season has been a struggle for Plymouth, even more so than last year. But it is far from the end of the world and their fate is far from sealed.

They play in the Championship, where a few wins during a busy period can define a season, after all. And with more than 20 games still to play, just 10 points separates them, in 24th, and Millwall in 13th.

Watch this space.

In The Dugout

Kevin Nancekivell

Devon native Kevin Nancekivell played almost all of his football in non-league with Bideford and Tiverton Town, save for a six-game spell as a professional at Plymouth during the 2000/01 season.

He returned to Argyle in 2005, taking up a role within the club's youth set-up and was first appointed caretaker in January 2013, after Carl Fletcher was sacked.

A year later, he left to take up a role in Torquay's academy but returned in May 2015. Three years later, he started to work as a first-team coach at Home Park and, in April 2019, he was named caretaker for a second time after the sacking of Derek Adams.

A third spell in temporary charge came in December 2023, after Steven Schumacher left for Stoke, followed by a fourth in April 2024 when Schumacher’s successor Ian Foster was dismissed.

The 53-year-old is now in his fifth spell as caretaker across the last 12 years - and this time, he is sharing the responsibilities with club captain Joe Edwards, 34, who has been sidelined by injury since October.

The right-sided player joined Bristol City at the age of 10 in 2001 and stayed until 2013, when he joined Yeovil after a successful loan spell there in 2012.

He then moved on to Colchester, then Walsall and Plymouth in 2019. He was part of the squad that won League One in 2022/23 and has played almost 250 times for the club to date.

The Gameplan

With Chris Errington, The Herald and Plymouth Live

Chris Errington, football journalist for The Herald and Plymouth Live, explains how Argyle are likely to set up to face the Bees.

"That is a little bit up in the air depending on the new manager situation," said Errington. "Since Wayne Rooney left, they have played a 3-4-2-1, with Whittaker and Rami Al-Hajj playing behind the main striker.

"They drew both of the first two games after Wayne Rooney left; 2-2 at home to Bristol City and 0-0 at Stoke, so you could say that formation has worked pretty well and there is every chance they might stick with that.

"A new manager could come in and change it, but I cannot imagine they would want to change too much too soon if they have just come through the door.

"They will play with three centre-backs, but that can easily become five across the back if they need it to."

Read our full interview with Chris Errington here.

Match Officials

Toner in charge for FA Cup clash

Referee: Ben Toner

Assistants: Wade Smith and George Byrne

Fourth Official: Craig Hicks

Ben Toner will referee Brentford for the first time in his career on Saturday afternoon.

The Lancashire-born official's first professional match was back in 2013, but he has never been in charge of a fixture involving the Bees.

Toner has been the man in the middle for 23 games this campaign across the Championship, League One, League Two and the Carabao Cup, handing out 119 yellow cards and four reds.

VAR will not be in use for the game.