Pompey v Plymouth: The Opposition View

Hopefully both clubs are on the brink of clinching automatic promotion and tomorrow’s match should be really exciting.

Both clubs feel they should be higher up the leagues.

There are quite a few similarities in terms of big city clubs playing in the fourth division of English football.

The play-offs last year took things to a new level.

There has always been a good rivalry between Plymouth and Pompey because of the naval connections and now the football side has added to it.

Graham Carey has had a good second season for Argyle.

He was a key player last season and, although everyone in the league knows all about him now, he has been just as effective, if not more this season.

It says a lot about Carey that he’s still been able to play well.

Although, he may get pipped to the player of the season award by ex-Pompey man Sonny Bradley.

The centre-back has had an outstanding first season at Argyle after signing from Crawley last summer.

It wouldn’t surprise me if he came out on top of a lot of the club’s player-of-the-year votes.

I don’t think he’s expecting the greatest reception at Fratton Park, though.

But he’s big enough and old enough to deal with things.

From an Argyle point of view, he’s had a great season.

The fans down here really love him and, like Enda Stevens, he has made the Football League’s team of the year.

I’ve watched Argyle pretty much every game of this season and Bradley is well worthy of being in that team.

The whole squad has changed since the last time Argyle were at Fratton Park.

They carried out a lot of changes last summer.

Derek Adams made 14 signings after the play-off final defeat.

That is one thing that is to his credit and to all of the players’ credit.

After all those changes, they’ve been at the top of the table since September.

There wasn’t that settling in period you sometimes get when squads are overhauled.

They perhaps have a little more strength in depth, which they didn’t have at the end of last season.

Plymouth have got everyone available except Ryan Brunt, who has been out since March 2016 and David Ijaha.

Jakub Sokolík missed the game at Crawley last week but he’s been back training.