A CRAZY SITUATION

ROONEY UNHAPPY ARGYLE ARE HANDED FRIDAY NIGHT SLOT

- CHRIS ERRINGTON

HEAD coach Wayne Rooney has called it 'crazy' that Plymouth Argyle and Watford are having to play each other at Home Park tonight as Championship action resumes after the third international break of the season.

The Pilgrims have had five players away on international duty, with Darko Gyabi (England under-21s) and Victor Palsson (Iceland) back at the club on Wednesday, followed by Freddie Issaka (Wales under-19s) later on. However, Mustapha Bundu (Sierra Leone) and Kornel Szucs (Hungary) were not due to return until yesterday, leaving them little time to prepare for match, which was moved forward from Saturday afternoon for live broadcast on Sky Sports.

Rooney said: "Of course, it's not ideal, and we know Watford are having the same problem from that point of view, and they obviously have to travel as well. I think it's crazy to have the game on a Friday but it's something we have to deal with and we have prepared for it as best we can."

Watford have also had a number of their players away on international duty. For example, defender Francisco Sierralta was a substitute for Chile in their 4-2 win at home to Venezuela in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in Santiago on Tuesday.