Cleverley was angry that his Pilgrims’ side did not stick to the game plan in the 4-1 loss at Home Park
19:18, 07 Feb 2026Updated 20:25, 07 Feb 2026
Ryan One scores Lincoln City’s final goal in their 4-1 League One win against Argyle at Home Park on February 7, 2026 – Photo: Dave Rowntree/PPAUK
Tom Cleverley was angry that his Plymouth Argyle side did not stick to the game plan in the second half of their 4-1 defeat by second-placed Lincoln City at Home Park.
Cleverley thought the Pilgrims ‘completely came away’ from what had seen them achieve success in their good run of results in December and January.
Instead, it brought back memories for him of when Argyle struggled desperately, firstly at the start of the season and then during a torrid time in October and into November.
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Cleverley also did not like the body language of the Pilgrims’ players as things started to turn against them against set-piece specialists Lincoln.
Argyle, coming off a 2-1 defeat at promotion contenders Stockport County the previous Saturday, started strongly and striker Bim Pepple scored with a terrific finish from 25 yards out to give them an early lead that they held onto until the 38th minute.
That was when Lincoln equalised with a Freddie Draper close range header from a Reeco Hackett corner, and the visitors went on to get three unanswered goals as they dominated the second half.
Cleverley said: “It was a strong performance first half, which has been quite consistent of us getting on the front foot and being really aggressive and intense.
“We knew the threat they (Lincoln) have from set plays and we didn’t deal with it anywhere near well enough today, in both halves.
“The disappointing thing for me is second half we came completely away from what has made us successful recently. That is to be a little bit more vertical, a little bit more forward-thinking, maybe a little bit more direct at times.
“The structure we do that from is really key to it and we completely came away from that. We were playing in such an open shape and then playing purposeless passes along the back line, creating turnover moments like their second goal.
“It not only makes the opposition more effective, it makes us look much less effective, so my job now is I have got a week to make sure everyone is educated and on the same page on why we have been so successful for 10 games.
“Today we looked back to what it was at the start of the season in the second half,” added Cleverley, whose team will be away to Blackpool next Saturday.
Argyle suffered yet another injury blow when Pepple was involved in a clash of heads with Lincoln midfielder Ivan Varfolomeev late in the first half and had to be substituted because of a swollen eye.
Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley after the 4-1 League One defeat by Lincoln City at Home Park on February 7, 2026 – Photo: Dave Rowntree/PPAUK
Cleverley said: “We are absolutely crippled by injuries at the minute, seven or eight starters. It seems like every time someone scores a goal for this football club they are injured the next game.
“But the reason I’m so angry is because I know the players coming in can deliver what we want. Today, it was a real swerve away from our game plan and our success from recent weeks.
“We can’t have that because, in the second half, we certainly looked like the team that you saw in August and October rather than the team you have seen in December and January. First half, I thought we were more than their match and probably edged it.”
Lincoln went ahead in the 53rd minute with a low angled shot from Hackett after Argyle had turned the ball over inside their own half, which was another source of frustration for the head coach.
Cleverley said: “It was a strange decision to play the goal kick short to a back four full of right-footers to the left-hand side and from an open shape, when you have scored a goal from a goal kick from a closed shape, being that bit more direct.
“But this is League One, these things happen, it’s my job to absolutely keep the players on board with why we have been really effective in recent weeks and why second half we just weren’t.”
Argyle went into the match without six injured players – all of them potential first team starters – while Matty Sorinola began a two-match ban.
Cleverley said: “Any team that misses (Conor) Hazard, (Julio) Pleguezuelo, (Brendan) Galloway, (Joe) Ralls, (Lorent) Tolaj, (Bradley) Ibrahim and Pepple is going to suffer, and then for that as well we don’t have much room for rotation so levels of tiredness will play a part.
“I don’t think we handle setbacks well enough. When we are dominating the game and then a set piece goal against you can tell which team has just suffered the setback by our body language, and I thought that was the same at Stockport.
“If they (Lincoln) score they are a good team, no problem, we go back to what we have been effective with. The setbacks in game are knocking us off course a bit too much.”
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