2001–02 Plymouth Argyle F.C. season

The 2001–02 season was the 107th season in the history of Plymouth Argyle Football Club, their 77th in the Football League, and 5th in the fourth tier of the English football league system. Their 12th-place finish in the 2000–01 season meant it was their fourth successive season playing in the Third Division.

Plymouth Argyle F.C.

2001–02 season
Chairman	Paul Stapleton
Manager	Paul Sturrock
Stadium	Home Park
Third Division	1st
FA Cup	Second round
League Cup	First round
League Trophy	First round
Top goalscorer	League: Graham Coughlan (11) All: Graham Coughlan/David Friio (11)
Highest home attendance	18,517 (vs Cheltenham Town, 20 April)
Lowest home attendance	3,850 (vs Swansea City, 11 September)
Home colours
← 2000–01 2002–03 →

Season summary

The club began the 2001–02 season in the Football League Third Division, following a disappointing 12th-place finish the previous year.^[1] There were signs of change at the club and they finished the season as champions, breaking numerous club records in the process, including a record haul of 102 points.^[2] They achieved 31 wins, 9 draws, and 6 defeats, from 46 games. Their leading goalscorer was Graham Coughlan with 11 goals in all competitions – an outstanding achievement for a centre-back. The club reached the second round of the FA Cup, drawing 1–1 at home with Bristol Rovers before losing the replay 3–2. They entered the League Cup in the first round and were eliminated away to Watford 1–0. They also competed in the Football League Trophy, where they bowed out in the first round after a 2–1 defeat away to Cheltenham Town. Notable players to begin their careers with the Pilgrims this season included Coughlan, Marino Keith, and Jason Bent.

Legend   Win   Draw   Loss

Football League

For more information, see Football League Second Division.

Plymouth Argyle v Shrewsbury Town

11 August 2001	Plymouth Argyle	0–1	Shrewsbury Town	Home Park, Plymouth
		Report	Jemson   73'	Attendance: 5,087 Referee: C Penton

Hull City v Plymouth Argyle

18 August 2001	Hull City	0–0	Plymouth Argyle	Boothferry Park, Hull
		Report		Attendance: 10,755 Referee: G Cain

Plymouth Argyle v Rochdale

25 August 2001	Plymouth Argyle	1–2	Rochdale	Home Park, Plymouth
	Coleman (og)   16'	Report	Jones   17' Connor   77'	Attendance: 4,198 Referee: R Harris

Rushden & Diamonds v Plymouth Argyle

27 August 2001	Rushden & Diamonds	2–3	Plymouth Argyle	Nene Park, Irthlingborough
	Darby   30', 42'	Report	Evans   45' Coughlan   51' McGlinchey   71'	Attendance: 4,414 Referee: G Hegley

Torquay United v Plymouth Argyle

8 September 2001	Torquay United	0–1	Plymouth Argyle	Plainmoor, Torquay
		Report	Friio   58'	Attendance: 4,217 Referee: M Brandwood

Plymouth Argyle v Swansea City

11 September 2001	Plymouth Argyle	3–1	Swansea City	Home Park, Plymouth
	Wotton (pen)   24' Banger   45' Phillips   61'	Report	Sidibé   79'	Attendance: 3,850 Referee: P Prosser

Kidderminster Harriers v Plymouth Argyle

15 September 2001	Kidderminster Harriers	0–0	Plymouth Argyle	Aggborough, Kidderminster
		Report		Attendance: 2,801 Referee: S Baines

Exeter City v Plymouth Argyle

18 September 2001	Exeter City	2–3	Plymouth Argyle	St James Park, Exeter
	Curran   7' Roberts   18'	Report	Phillips   6' Evans   65' Stonebridge   90'	Attendance: 5,756 Referee: D Gallagher

Plymouth Argyle v Macclesfield Town

22 September 2001	Plymouth Argyle	2–0	Macclesfield Town	Home Park, Plymouth
	Hodges   45' Friio   65'	Report		Attendance: 4,227 Referee: J Ross

York City v Plymouth Argyle

25 September 2001	York City	0–0	Plymouth Argyle	Bootham Crescent, York
		Report		Attendance: 2,282 Referee: M Cowburn

Plymouth Argyle v Luton Town

29 September 2001	Plymouth Argyle	2–1	Luton Town	Home Park, Plymouth
	Phillips   22' Friio   45' Evans   38'	Report	Crowe   15'	Attendance: 5,782 Referee: A Hall

Oxford United v Plymouth Argyle

6 October 2001	Oxford United	1–1	Plymouth Argyle	Kassam Stadium, Oxford
	Moody (pen)   74'	Report	Nicky Banger   80'	Attendance: 6,017 Referee: P Alcock

Plymouth Argyle v Halifax Town

13 October 2001	Plymouth Argyle	3–0	Halifax Town	Home Park, Plymouth
	Coughlan   16' Phillips   23' Hodges   26'	Report		Attendance: 5,065 Referee: M Warren

Mansfield Town v Plymouth Argyle

20 October 2001	Mansfield Town	0–3	Plymouth Argyle	Field Mill, Mansfield
		Report	Evans   54' Friio   90' Stonebridge   90'	Attendance: 4,621 Referee: G Frankland

Plymouth Argyle v Lincoln City

23 October 2001	Plymouth Argyle	2–0	Lincoln City	Home Park, Plymouth
	Friio   28' Coughlan   75'	Report		Attendance: 6,572 Referee: M Fletcher

Bristol Rovers v Plymouth Argyle

28 October 2001	Bristol Rovers	1–2	Plymouth Argyle	Memorial Ground, Bristol
	Cameron   85'	Report	Phillips   2' Hodges   58'	Attendance: 6,889 Referee: M Halsey

Plymouth Argyle v Hartlepool United

3 November 2001	Plymouth Argyle	1–0	Hartlepool United	Home Park, Plymouth
	Friio   41'	Report		Attendance: 5,723 Referee: B Jordan

Cheltenham Town v Plymouth Argyle

9 November 2001	Cheltenham Town	0–0	Plymouth Argyle	Whaddon Road, Cheltenham
		Report		Attendance: 5,035 Referee: B Curson

Southend United v Plymouth Argyle

20 November 2001	Southend United	0–1	Plymouth Argyle	Roots Hall, Southend
		Report	Adams   43'	Attendance: 3,716 Referee: P Taylor

Plymouth Argyle v Carlisle United

24 November 2001	Plymouth Argyle	3–0	Carlisle United	Home Park, Plymouth
	Evans   17' Bent   45' Phillips   88'	Report		Attendance: 5,870 Referee: R Harris

Leyton Orient v Plymouth Argyle

1 December 2001	Leyton Orient	0–0	Plymouth Argyle	Brisbane Road, Leyton
		Report		Attendance: 6,342 Referee: S Dunn

Plymouth Argyle v Darlington

15 December 2001	Plymouth Argyle	1–0	Darlington	Home Park, Plymouth
	Friio   81'	Report		Attendance: 5,041 Referee: M Cooper

Scunthorpe United v Plymouth Argyle

22 December 2001	Scunthorpe United	2–1	Plymouth Argyle	Glanford Park, Scunthorpe
	Hodges   6', 25'	Report	Coughlan   51'	Attendance: 3,602 Referee: G Laws

Plymouth Argyle v Torquay United

26 December 2001	Plymouth Argyle	2–2	Torquay United	Home Park, Plymouth
	Coughlan   50' Stonebridge   52'	Report	McGlinchey (og)   67' Logan (pen)   90'	Attendance: 13,677 Referee: P Rejer

Plymouth Argyle v Rushden & Diamonds

29 December 2001	Plymouth Argyle	1–0	Rushden & Diamonds	Home Park, Plymouth
	Keith   81'	Report		Attendance: 9,503 Referee: L Cable

Plymouth Argyle v Hull City

12 January 2002	Plymouth Argyle	1–0	Hull City	Home Park, Plymouth
	Stonebridge   20'	Report		Attendance: 9,134 Referee: C Wilkes

Shrewsbury Town v Plymouth Argyle

19 January 2002	Shrewsbury Town	3–1	Plymouth Argyle	Gay Meadow, Shrewsbury
	Rodgers   44' Aiston   50' Lowe   84' Rioch   17'	Report	Evans   5'	Attendance: 4,796 Referee: D Pugh

Plymouth Argyle v Scunthorpe United

22 January 2002	Plymouth Argyle	2–1	Scunthorpe United	Home Park, Plymouth
	Wotton (pen)   44' Keith   54'	Report	Carruthers   13'	Attendance: 5,804 Referee: M Fletcher

Plymouth Argyle v Oxford United

26 January 2002	Plymouth Argyle	4–2	Oxford United	Home Park, Plymouth
	Coughlan   21' Hodges   24' Stonebridge   45', 46'	Report	Morley   34' Powell   41'	Attendance: 8,239 Referee: B Curson

Luton Town v Plymouth Argyle

2 February 2002	Luton Town	2–0	Plymouth Argyle	Kenilworth Road, Luton
	Nicholls (pen)   80' Howard   87'	Report		Attendance: 9,585 Referee: P Joslin

Swansea City v Plymouth Argyle

5 February 2002	Swansea City	0–1	Plymouth Argyle	Vetch Field, Swansea
		Report	Sturrock   39'	Attendance: 4,060 Referee: S Tomlin

Plymouth Argyle v Mansfield Town

9 February 2002	Plymouth Argyle	1–0	Mansfield Town	Home Park, Plymouth
	Friio   85'	Report		Attendance: 14,716 Referee: D Crick

Halifax Town v Plymouth Argyle

16 February 2002	Halifax Town	0–2	Plymouth Argyle	The Shay, Halifax
		Report	Hodges   41' Wotton (pen)   43'	Attendance: 2,330 Referee: T Parkes

Plymouth Argyle v Kidderminster Harriers

23 February 2002	Plymouth Argyle	2–1	Kidderminster Harriers	Home Park, Plymouth
	Coughlan   67' Wotton (pen)   81'	Report	Broughton   33'	Attendance: 8,758 Referee: R Beeby

Plymouth Argyle v Exeter City

26 February 2002	Plymouth Argyle	3–0	Exeter City	Home Park, Plymouth
	Adams   6' Keith   29', 74'	Report	McCarthy	Attendance: 16,369 Referee: G Cain

Macclesfield Town v Plymouth Argyle

2 March 2002	Macclesfield Town	1–1	Plymouth Argyle	Moss Rose, Macclesfield
	Priest   90'	Report	Coughlan   71'	Attendance: 2,557 Referee: P Dowd

Plymouth Argyle v York City

5 March 2002	Plymouth Argyle	1–0	York City	Home Park, Plymouth
	Potter (og)   45' Worrell   53'	Report		Attendance: 10,801 Referee: P Prosser

Plymouth Argyle v Leyton Orient

16 March 2002	Plymouth Argyle	3–0	Leyton Orient	Home Park, Plymouth
	Stonebridge   6' Coughlan   78' Evans   81'	Report		Attendance: 9,438 Referee: M Fletcher

Lincoln City v Plymouth Argyle

23 March 2002	Lincoln City	0–1	Plymouth Argyle	Sincil Bank, Lincoln
		Report	Stonebridge   71'	Attendance: 4,019 Referee: Trevor Parkes

Rochdale v Plymouth Argyle

26 March 2002	Rochdale	1–3	Plymouth Argyle	Spotland, Rochdale
	Simpson   54'	Report	Keith   66' Coughlan   81' Hodges   83'	Attendance: 4,457 Referee: Mike Pike

Plymouth Argyle v Bristol Rovers

30 March 2002	Plymouth Argyle	1–0	Bristol Rovers	Home Park, Plymouth
	Keith   1'	Report		Attendance: 15,732 Referee: Paul Danson

Hartlepool United v Plymouth Argyle

1 April 2002	Hartlepool United	1–0	Plymouth Argyle	Victoria Park, Hartlepool
	Clarke   86'	Report		Attendance: 3,725 Referee: Mike Jones

Plymouth Argyle v Southend United

6 April 2002	Plymouth Argyle	0–0	Southend United	Home Park, Plymouth
		Report		Attendance: 10,021 Referee: Ray Olivier

Carlisle United v Plymouth Argyle

13 April 2002	Carlisle United	0–2	Plymouth Argyle	Brunton Park, Carlisle
		Report	Keith   20' Wotton   53'	Attendance: 3,080 Referee: Mark Cowburn

Darlington v Plymouth Argyle

15 April 2002	Darlington	1–4	Plymouth Argyle	Feethams, Darlington
	Clark (pen)   34'	Report	Evans   10' Keith   17', 27' Bent   59'	Attendance: 4,089 Referee: Guy Stretton

Plymouth Argyle v Cheltenham Town

20 April 2002	Plymouth Argyle	2–0	Cheltenham Town	Home Park, Plymouth
	Bent   4' Coughlan   24'	Report		Attendance: 18,517 Referee: Steve Tomlin

League table

Pos	Club	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Plymouth Argyle	46	31	9	6	71	28	+43	102
2	Luton Town	46	30	7	9	96	48	+48	97
3	Mansfield Town	46	24	7	15	72	60	+12	79
4	Cheltenham Town	46	21	15	10	66	49	+17	78
5	Rochdale	46	21	15	10	65	52	+13	78

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
46	31	9	6	71	28	+43	102	19	2	2	41	11	+30	12	7	4	30	17	+13

As of games played 20 April 2002^[3]

FA Cup

For more information, see 2001–02 FA Cup.

First Round

Whitby Town v Plymouth Argyle

17 November 2001	Whitby Town	1–1	Plymouth Argyle	Turnbull Ground, Whitby
	Gildea   42'	(Report)	Phillips   72'	Attendance: 2,202 Referee: Neale Barry

First round replay

Plymouth Argyle v Whitby Town

27 November 2001	Plymouth Argyle	3–2	Whitby Town	Home Park, Plymouth
	Bent   16' Stonebridge   39' Phillips   44' Evans   36'	(Report)	Burt   70' Robinson   72'	Attendance: 5,914 Referee: Paul Durkin

Second Round

Plymouth Argyle v Bristol Rovers

8 December 2001	Plymouth Argyle	1–1	Bristol Rovers	Home Park, Plymouth
	Wotton   27'	(Report)	Walters   60'	Attendance: 6,141 Referee: Richard Beeby

Second Round Replay

Bristol Rovers v Plymouth Argyle

18 December 2001	Bristol Rovers	3–2	Plymouth Argyle	Memorial Ground, Bristol
	Ommel   56' Hogg   71' Ellington   87'	(Report)	Friio   76', 86'	Attendance: 5,763 Referee: Richard Beeby

Football League Cup

For more information, see 2001–02 Football League Cup.

First Round

Watford v Plymouth Argyle

21 August 2001	Watford	1–0	Plymouth Argyle	Vicarage Road, Watford
	Gayle   82'	(Report)		Attendance: 9,230 Referee: Paul Armstrong

Football League Trophy

For more information, see Football League Trophy.

Southern Section First Round

Cheltenham Town v Plymouth Argyle

16 October 2001	Cheltenham Town	2–1	Plymouth Argyle	Whaddon Road, Cheltenham
	Victory   53' Alsop   63'	(Report)	Friio   16'	Attendance: 1,310 Referee: Paul Rejer

Players

First-team squad

Squad at end of season^[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   FRA Romain Larrieu 2 DF   IRL David Worrell 3 DF   ENG Jon Beswetherick 4 MF   FRA David Friio 5 DF   IRL Graham Coughlan 6 DF   ENG Craig Taylor 7 DF   NIR Brian McGlinchey 9 FW   IRL Mickey Evans^[notes 1] 10 FW   ENG Ian Stonebridge 11 MF   ENG Martin Phillips 12 MF   ENG Steve Adams 14 MF   ENG Lee Hodges

No. Pos. Nation Player 15 DF   ENG Paul Wotton 16 FW   SCO Martin Gritton 17 MF   ENG Kevin Wills 19 FW   SCO Marino Keith 20 MF   CAN Jason Bent 21 FW   SCO Blair Sturrock 22 MF   ENG Joe Broad 23 GK   ENG Luke McCormick 24 DF   ENG Paul Connolly 25 MF   ENG Neil Heaney 28 MF   CGO Marly Malonga

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 8 MF   ENG Sean Evers (on loan to Stevenage Borough) 18 FW   ENG Nicky Banger (released) 19 FW   ENG Dean Crowe (on loan from Stoke City)

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 FW   ENG Steve Guinan (to Shrewsbury Town) 26 GK   ENG Chris Adamson (on loan from West Bromwich Albion)

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Key

  * First appearance(s) for Plymouth Argyle.

  ¤ On loan to another club from Plymouth Argyle during season.

  ‡ On loan at Plymouth Argyle from another club during season.

  † Permanent player left club during the season.

# = Squad number; Pos = Playing position; P = Number of games played; G = Number of goals scored;   = Yellow cards;   = Red cards; GK = Goalkeeper; DF = Defender; MF = Midfielder; FW = Forward

Statistics do not include minor competitions or games played for other clubs. All players are listed by position and then surname.^[5]

No.	Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total		Discipline		Notes
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals			^[6]
-	GK	Chris Adamson ‡	1	0	0	0	0	0	1*	0			^[7]
-	GK	Romain Larrieu	45	0	4	0	1	0	50	0			^[8]
-	GK	Luke McCormick	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			^[9]
-	DF	Jon Beswetherick †	32	0	3	0	0	0	35	0			^[10]
-	DF	Paul Connolly ¤	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			^[11]
-	DF	Graham Coughlan	46	11	4	0	1	0	51*	11			^[12]
-	DF	Brian McGlinchey	29	1	3	0	1	0	33	1			^[13]
-	DF	Craig Taylor	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0			^[14]
-	DF	David Worrell	42	0	4	0	0	0	46	0			^[15]
-	DF	Paul Wotton	46	5	4	0	0	0	50	5			^[16]
-	MF	Steve Adams	46	2	4	0	1	0	51	2			^[17]
-	MF	Jason Bent	21	3	3	1	0	0	24*	4			^[18]
-	MF	Joe Broad ¤	7	0	0	0	1	0	8*	0			^[19]
-	MF	Sean Evers ¤	7	0	1	0	1	0	9	0			^[20]
-	MF	David Friio	41	8	4	2	1	0	46	10			^[21]
-	MF	Neil Heaney	8	0	0	0	0	0	8*	0			^[22]
-	MF	Lee Hodges	45	6	4	0	1	0	50	6			^[23]
-	MF	Martin Phillips	39	6	4	2	1	0	44	8			^[24]
-	MF	Kevin Wills	18	0	2	0	1	0	21	0			^[25]
-	FW	Nicky Banger †	10	2	0	0	0	0	10*	2			^[26]
-	FW	Dean Crowe ‡	1	0	0	0	0	0	1*	0			^[27]
-	FW	Mickey Evans	38	7	3	0	1	0	42	7			^[28]
-	FW	Martin Gritton ¤	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
-	FW	Martin Green¤	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
-	FW	Marino Keith	23	9	2	0	0	0	25*	9			^[29]
-	FW	Ian Stonebridge	42	8	4	1	1	0	47	9			^[30]

Goalscorers

Scorer	Goals
Graham Coughlan	11
David Friio
Marino Keith	9
Ian Stonebridge
Martin Phillips	8
Mickey Evans	7
Lee Hodges	6
Paul Wotton
Jason Bent	4
Steve Adams	2
Nicky Banger
Brian McGlinchey	1

Awards

2001–02 Awards	Pos.	Player
Player of the Year	DF	Graham Coughlan
Young Player of the Year	MF	Steve Adams

Transfers

Permanent

In

Date	Pos.	Player	From	Fee
24 August 2001	FW	Nicky Banger	Dundee	Free
21 September 2001	MF	Jason Bent	Colorado Rapids	Free
6 November 2001	FW	Marino Keith	Livingston	Free
1 December 2001	FW	Blair Sturrock	Dundee United	Free
4 December 2001	MF	Neil Heaney	Dundee United	Undisclosed

Out

Date	Pos.	Player	To	Fee
3 July 2001	FW	Sean McCarthy	Exeter City	Free
8 July 2001	MF	Martin Barlow	Exeter City	Free
10 July 2001	GK	Jon Sheffield	Yeovil Town	Free
1 August 2001	MF	Michael Meaker	Northwich Victoria	Undisclosed
6 August 2001	DF	Michael Heathcote	Shrewsbury Town	Free
17 August 2001	MF	Stuart Elliott	Carlisle United	Free
26 November 2001	FW	Nicky Banger	Free agent	Released
28 March 2002	FW	Steve Guinan	Shrewsbury Town	Free
29 May 2002	DF	Jon Beswetherick	Sheffield Wednesday	Free

Loans

In

Start Date	Pos.	Player	To	End Date
10 August 2001	FW	Dean Crowe	Stoke City	5 September 2001
10 January 2002	GK	Chris Adamson	West Bromwich Albion	7 February 2002

Out

Start Date	Pos.	Player	From	End Date
24 November 2001	MF	Joe Broad	Yeovil Town	24 December 2001
29 November 2001	FW	Martin Gritton	Shelbourne	31 May 2002
1 February 2002	DF	Paul Connolly	Bideford	31 May 2002
28 March 2002	MF	Sean Evers	Stevenage Borough	31 May 2002

Notes

1. Evans was born in Plymouth, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in October 1997.

References

1. GoS: 2001–02
2. Team Page
3. League Table
4. "FootballSquads - Plymouth Argyle - 2001/02".
5. . Archived from the original on 25 December 2008. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
6. Soccerbase Statistics
7. Chris Adamson
8. Romain Larrieu
9. Luke McCormick
10. Jon Beswetherick
11. Paul Connolly
12. Graham Coughlan
13. Brian McGlinchey
14. Craig Taylor
15. David Worrell
16. Paul Wotton
17. Steve Adams
18. Jason Bent
19. Joe Broad
20. Sean Evers
21. David Friio
22. Neil Heaney
23. Lee Hodges
24. Martin Phillips
25. Kevin Wills
26. Nicky Banger
27. Dean Crowe
28. Mickey Evans
29. Marino Keith
30. Ian Stonebridge