Barnsley to start with and at home for Christmas

FIXTURE LIST KIND TO ARGYLE WITH HOME GAMES ON SEVERAL KEY DATES

- By CHRIS ERRINGTON

PLYMOUTH Argyle will begin the 2025/26 League One season under their new head coach Tom Cleverley with a game against Barnsley at Home Park on Saturday, August 2.

It will mean a return to the Theatre of Greens for former Pilgrims' captain Conor Hourihane, who was appointed as Barnsley's interim head coach in March before taking over on a full-time basis the following month on a two-year contract.

Argyle's new women's team head coach Marie Hourihan is a second cousin to the Barnsley boss, who made a total of 136 starts and six substitute appearances for the Pilgrims from 2011 until 2014 and scored 16 goals.

Cleverley's second league game as Argyle head coach will be away to Steven Schumacher's Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsteet Community Stadium on Saturday, August 9.

Schumacher, who led the Pilgrims to the League One title in 2022/23 with 101 points, was appointed Bolton boss at the end of January and led them to an eighth place finish last term.

Over the close season, Bolton have appointed Argyle's Jimmy Dickinson as their new head of recruitment while David Ray is leaving his role as the head of finance at Home Park to become Wanderers' new chief executive.

Argyle's third league game of 2025/26 will be away to Lincoln City, who signed former Argyle defender and player-of-the-year Sonny Bradley last week, on Saturday, August 16.