Plymouth Argyle

Milne joins Saints from Plymouth
St Johnstone have signed Steven Milne on a three-year deal after the striker was allowed to leave Plymouth Argyle. The 25-year-old had made only 12 substitute appearances for the English Championship outfit after joining from Dundee last summer. Milne had made 117 appearances, more than half as a substitute, in seven seasons at Dens Park. Saints boss Owen Coyle said: "Steven is a proven goal scorer at SPL level and I think the fans will enjoy seeing him." It is Coyle's fifth close-season capture, having already signed defenders Kevin James and Mark Campbell from Falkirk, striker Stephen Dobbie from Hibernian and midfielder Neil Janczyk from Hearts. "This signing came about as a result of a chance conversation I had last week, during which I learned that Steven might be available," Coyle told his club's website. "We've done all in our power as a club to move quickly and bring Steven to Perth and I delighted to have succeeded. "I said I wanted a player that would complement the existing strikers and I know I have found that player in Steven. "I would like another couple of new faces and the wheels are in motion, but whether that is before or after pre-season training commences remains to be seen."

Argyle line up Swedish tour dates
Plymouth Argyle are to play three friendlies in Sweden during a pre-season training camp in mid-July as they gear up for the new campaign. Bobby Williamson's side will be based 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle at Kamratvallen, near Holmsund. Argyle have arranged games against Betsele IF on 19 July, Umea FC on 21 July and IFK Holmsund on 23 July. Plymouth fly out to Sweden on 17 July and return on 24 July in preparation for the season's start on 6 August.

Argyle snap up defender Brevett
Veteran defender Rufus Brevett has joined Plymouth following his release by Premiership newcomers West Ham. The 35-year-old, who is a free agent, has signed a one-year deal with Argyle. Brevett joins Anthony Barness, Swedish midfielder Bojan Djordjic and Hungarian Akos Buzsaky, who have all agreed to join Plymouth during the close season. Brevett went to West Ham from Fulham in January 2003, but played just 29 games for the Hammers after fracturing a bone in his foot in August 2003.

Gulls swoop for defender Villis
Plymouth Argyle defender Matt Villis has joined Torquay United in a one-year deal, reports BBC Radio Devon. Villis made 24 appearances on loan at Plainmoor last season, but was not expected to return to Torquay. But the Gulls have now secured a deal for the 21-year-old which sees Plymouth gain 50% of any future transfer fee. "If Matt continues the improvement he showed last season he will very soon be challenging for a regular slot," boss Leroy Rosenior told Torquay's website.

Ex-Saint Dodd seals Brighton move
Former Southampton defender Jason Dodd has signed a one-year deal with Brighton - in a deal brokered by ex-Saints manager Gordon Strachan. Dodd, 34, had been linked with Plymouth where he had a successful loan spell. But he told Southampton's website: "I rang Gordon and asked him about (Albion boss) Mark McGhee - they are good mates and he spoke very highly of him. "Mark said he would love to have me there, and I spoke to their chairman - everything was agreed in half-an-hour." Seagulls boss McGhee told his club's website he was thrilled Dodd opted to move to the Withdean Stadium. "Jason is an excellent addition," McGhee affirmed. "He has played over 400 games at the top level. He is in excellent condition and can play in a lot of positions." Dodd, usually a right-back, played a total of 488 games during a 16-year career with the Saints, but was not offered a new deal this summer. And Brighton chairman Dick Knight says Dodd's Premiership pedigree will be invaluable: "Not only are we bringing in a great player, but a player with lots of experience which will help our young players." Dodd agrees that his experience could be the key to prevent another season of struggle against relegation for the Seagulls. "They don't want to be in that position again. They want a bit of experience from me to help push on," the defender told BBC Southern Counties Radio. "I'm a good organiser and that will be one of my strong points. What you see is what you get. "I want to try and force my way into the side. I also played left-back at Plymouth, while I played centre-half and in midfield at Southampton."

Williamson issues fitness warning
Plymouth boss Bobby Williamson has pledged to come down hard on any players who report back to pre-season training unfit. Williamson told the Plymouth Herald: "I expect the players to be coming back in good nick. "They will have a problem if they come back in bad condition, and I will be disappointed if anyone does come back in bad shape. "But I don't expect that to happen, and the first day back won't be too heavy."

Rotherham snap up defensive trio
Rotherham United have swooped to sign three new defenders as they begin life in League One following relegation, reports BBC Radio Sheffield. Northern Ireland International centre-half Colin Murdock, 30, has joined from Crewe Alexandra. David Worrell, 27, is making the move to Millmoor after being released by Championship side Plymouth Argyle. And 22-year-old full-back Jon Otsemobor has signed from Liverpool after loan spells with Hull, Bolton and Crewe.

Argyle net Nigerian defender West
Plymouth Argyle have pulled off a sensational transfer swoop, signing the Nigerian central defender Taribo West. The 31-year-old has signed a one-year contract at Home Park after a short spell with Al-Arabi in Qatar. West began his career with French outfit Auxerre and has since played for Inter Milan, AC Milan, Derby County, Kaiserslautern and Partizan Belgrade. The 40-times capped defender was linked with Benfica but chose to join Plymouth ahead of several other clubs.

Coughlan switch delayed by birth
Bristol City are confident of securing the signing of Plymouth defender Graham Coughlan despite a hold-up in talks. The 30-year-old centre-back postponed discussions on Wednesday when his wife went into labour, and they are now celebrating the birth of a baby boy. Robins boss Brian Tinnion said: "He wants to spend today with her and will come here tomorrow. "We still have to finalise personal terms but from discussions so far I don't foresee a problem." Tinnion has already agreed an undisclosed fee for Coughlan and added: "I am very keen to clinch the signing. "Everything I hear about Graham suggests he is a leader and a winner by nature. "We have a good spirit in the dressing room and his arrival can only improve that further."

Williamson out to bolster defence
Manager Bobby Williamson hopes to have Nuno Mendes back to bolster Plymouth's defence for this Saturday's trip to Crystal Palace. Mendes came through a reserve fixture against Bristol City on Tuesday in a bid to return to full match fitness. Williamson told BBC Radio Devon: "We need to defend better and to defend from the front. "Everybody needs to recognise their responsibility when the opposition have the ball because we're not doing that."

Plymouth 2-1 Peterborough
Plymouth came from behind to beat Peterborough in the Carling Cup. Peterborough opened the scoring through Christopher Plummer, who volleyed home a rebound after Peter Gain's header had crashed against the crossbar. Argyle equalised through Paul Wotton, who converted from the penalty spot after David Farrell was adjudged to have fouled David Norris. Scott Taylor then scored Plymouth's winner, slotting home a pass from Akos Buzsaky 18 yards from goal. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plymouth: McCormick, Connolly, Wotton, Doumbe, Barness, Norris, Mendes, Buzsaky (Lasley 83), Djordjic, Taylor, Evans (Chris Zebroski 76). Subs Not Used: Debbage, Capaldi, Gudjonsson. Goals: Wotton 35 pen, Taylor 38. Peterborough: Tyler, St. Ledger, Plummer, Arber, Burton, Day (Semple 83), Newton, Carden, Gain, Farrell (Logan 45), Quinn (Benjamin 20). Subs Not Used: Harrison, Boucaud. Booked: Logan. Goals: Plummer 22. Att: 5,974. Ref: P Mellin (Surrey).

Brighton 2-0 Plymouth
Brighton recorded their first win of the season against below-par Plymouth. The outstanding Leon Knight created the opener for Jake Robinson after 11 minutes, playing in the youngster for a cool finish past Romain Larrieu. Richard Carpenter opened the second half in spectacular style with a 25-yard thunderbolt that left Pilgrims' keeper Larrieu with no chance. It was only Knight's failure to finish off his fine work that prevented Brighton winning more convincingly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plymouth boss Bobby Williamson: "I am concerned about our results but we have just got to keep working through it. "Now is the time to be strong and believe in our ability and I'm sure we've got the players that will get over this period. "We need to focus on keeping clean sheets because then we'll have the chance of winning games." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brighton: Henderson, Reid, Hart, Butters, McShane, Hammond, Carpenter, Carole, Jarrett (Kazim-Richards 78), Knight, Robinson (Cox 88). Subs Not Used: Nicolas, Oatway, Chaigneau.Booked: Robinson. Goals: Robinson 11, Carpenter 46. Plymouth: Larrieu, Barness, Brevett, West, Wotton, Norris, Buzsaky (Zebroski 79), Doumbe, Djordjic (Gudjonsson 78), Evans, Mendes (Taylor 48). Subs Not Used: Connolly, McCormick. Booked: Wotton.Att: 6,238 Ref: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).

Plymouth 1-1 Crewe
Managerless Plymouth finally hit the target but their winless run continued as they were held by Crewe. Crewe went ahead after eight minutes when Eddie Johnson, on loan from Manchester United, bundled home from a corner to stun Plymouth. Plymouth were level three minutes later when Matt Derbyshire crossed for Scott Taylor to score from close range and end a 507-minute goal drought. Plymouth remained the better side and David Norris almost grabbed the winner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plymouth caretaker-manager Jocky Scott: "We showed the commitment I wanted to see and that was the most important thing for me. "We did everything but get three points - the players did what I asked of them and attacked from the off. "I couldn't single anyone out because I thought they all showed the kind of commitment that we want to see." Crewe boss Dario Gradi: "We played some good stuff in the first half but looked tired in the second, two games in three days took its toll on the younger players. "They had every advantage, playing at home and a day's extra rest than us. "When you get fatigued you can do some stupid things but luckily we got away with it." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plymouth: Larrieu, Barness (Buzsaky 34), Doumbe, Aljofree, Brevett, Norris, Wotton, Djordjic, Derbyshire, Chadwick (Evans 76), Taylor. Subs Not Used: McCormick, Gudjonsson, Capaldi. Booked: Buzsaky, Brevett. Goals: Taylor 12. Crewe: Turnbull, Moss, Foster, McCready, Tonkin, Lunt, Billy Jones, Vaughan, Rivers (Gary Roberts 74), Johnson (Higdon 39), Varney. Subs Not Used: Williams, Steve Jones, Walker. Booked: Higdon, Billy Jones. Goals: Johnson 8. Att: 10,460 Ref: S Tanner (Somerset).

Plymouth 1-0 Burnley
Plymouth secured their first home win of the season with a Micky Evans goal from the second half kick-off, following good work by Rufus Brevett. However, Burnley will feel aggrieved after dominating the match, particularly after going a goal down. Plymouth goalkeeper Romain Larrieu was called on time and time again. Late on against the run of play David Norris forced Danny Coyne to save well before Graham Branch headed Burnley's final chance wide at the other end. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plymouth caretaker boss Jocky Scott: "What the players have done in the last week has been great. But it's early in the season and they have got to do that to do that every week - they know that. "Getting the victory today - especially the first victory at home - was great for them because that will have given them a big boost and the fans, too. "That win moved us above Burnley - so it's something else to build on." Burnley boss Steve Cotterill: "Apart from the mistake for their goal we did all right. I thought the game had nil-nil written all over it to be honest. "I knew one goal could be enough and hoped we would get it - we created enough chances to win two games. "The performance was okay but it was an individual error again straight from the kick off. Today we got burned." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plymouth: Larrieu, Doumbe, West, Aljofree, Brevett (Barness 74), Norris, Wotton, Djordjic (Capaldi 87), Derbyshire (Chadwick 71), Evans, Taylor. Subs Not Used: Buzsaky, Gudjonsson. Booked: Doumbe, Djordjic, Brevett, Norris, Barness. Goals: Evans 46. Burnley: Coyne, Duff, Lowe, McGreal, Harley, Elliott (Branch 57), Hyde, Spicer, James O'Connor, Noel-Williams, Akinbiyi. Subs Not Used: Jensen, McCann, Bermingham, Courtney. Booked: Harley, Duff. Att: 11,829 Ref: K Stroud (Dorset).

Barnet 2-1 Plymouth
Giuliano Grazioli scored the winner as League Two Barnet saw off Championship side Plymouth to reach the third round of the Carling Cup. The Bees led after just 12 minutes as Simon King lashed home a left-foot volley, but Argyle levelled through Akos Buzsaky's 25-yard free-kick. Grazioli lobbed over Argyle keeper Luke McCormick just 21 seconds into the second half to restore Barnet's lead. Buzsaky almost equalised again, but his 30-yard drive hit the woodwork. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barnet boss Paul Fairclough: "It was a terrific result and I have to say the scoreline flattered Plymouth. "My players were heroes. We stopped them playing and never stopped running. I'mt so proud of the players - whoever we get now will be an adventure. "I want the biggest club in the next round." Plymouth caretaker-manager Jocky Scott: "We didn't create anything and they had all the chances. "They wanted to win the game more than we did. It's bad to say that but it's true. It's just not good enough at the end of the day. "Everybody's seen the result and what's happened. We didn't create enough from our good possession and for the goals our defending was schoolboy stuff." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barnet: Tynan, Hendon, King, Charles, Batt, Strevens, Bailey, Sinclair, Lee, Soares (Bowditch 78), Grazioli (Norville 90). Subs Not Used: Flitney, Gross, Roache. Booked: Bailey. Goals: King 12, Grazioli 46. Plymouth: McCormick, Barness, West, Doumbe, Capaldi, Gudjonsson, Lasley (Summerfield 81), Buzsaky, Derbyshire, Chadwick, Taylor (Djordjic 69). Subs Not Used: Larrieu, Mendes, Martin. Goals: Buzsaky 19. Att: 1,941 Ref: R Olivier (W Midlands).

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