“Bit too late to the party” – Can Plymouth Argyle secure automatic promotion to the Championship? The verdict

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Securing a 1-0 victory over Oxford United on Saturday courtesy of Joe Edwards’ 56th minute strike, Plymouth Argyle have now won seven out of their last eight third-tier matches. 

Yesterday’s result mean that the Pilgrims are now just three point off the automatic promotion positions, whilst they are also three points off top spot.

Steven Schumacher’s side have played more games than the teams around them, however, there is increasing pressure on these clubs to go out and win these matches.

Plymouth now hold an eight-point advantage within the play-off positions and will be hoping to earn promotion the second-tier in what remains of this season.

Three of our writers here at FLW have shared their thoughts regarding Plymouth’s chances of going up via the automatic promotion places…

Adam Jones 

I think the Pilgrims are just a bit too late to the party.

With Wigan holding a three-point and three-game advantage over them, it would be quite a surprise now if the Latics didn’t seal automatic promotion with the limited number of games there are to go.

In saying that, you almost feel MK Dons will be an asset to Steven Schumacher’s men in terms of unsettling Leam Richardson’s side and this could allow Plymouth to come out of nowhere and secure a top-two finish.

The one advantage they do have is the fact they seem to avoid draws. Turning draws into victories is crucial at this stage and if they can continue maximising their points return, you can’t rule them out.

However, you almost feel their fate is in the hands of