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Plymouth Argyle F.C.
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===Formation and early years (1886–1937)=== [[File:Plymouth Argyle 1903-04 Team Photo.jpg|thumb|1903–04 Argyle squad]] The club was founded in 1886 as Argyle Football Club, the first match taking place on 16 October 1886 against Caxton, a team from [[Cornwall]] and in which the Pilgrims lost 2–0. Later that week Argyle won for the first time, beating Dunheved College (now Launceston College) in [[Launceston, Cornwall|Launceston]] (where many of the club's first members had been educated) 2–1.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/devon/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8303000/8303515.stm | work=BBC News | title=History of Plymouth Argyle FC | date=14 October 2009 | access-date=22 May 2010 | archive-date=2 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150802094941/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/devon/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8303000/8303515.stm | url-status=live }}</ref> The club played several friendlies against [[Plymouth United F.C.|Plymouth United]], but poor performances on the pitch led to it going out of existence in 1894 before being resurrected in 1897 as one part of a general sports club, the '''Argyle Athletic Club'''.<ref>{{cite book |last= Danes |first= Ryan |title= Plymouth Argyle The Complete Record |year= 2009 |isbn= 978-1-85983-710-8 |page=12|publisher= Breedon }}</ref> In 1898, Argyle F.C. produced its first rulebook. The club's ground was given as Marsh Mills, an area on the edge of the city of Plymouth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Greens on Screen: Complete History of Plymouth Argyle |url=https://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/argylehistory.asp?era=1886-1890 |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=www.greensonscreen.co.uk |archive-date=4 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504170733/https://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/argylehistory.asp?era=1886-1890 |url-status=live }}</ref> Much speculation surrounds the origin of the name ''Argyle''. One explanation is that the club was named after the [[Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders]], an army regiment with a strong football side of its own.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Origin of the Argyle Name – PAHA |url=https://argylearchive.org.uk/uncategorized/whats-in-a-name/ |access-date=2023-05-04 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Another theory is given by the local geography–suggesting the name comes either from the nearby [[public house]], ''The Argyle Tavern'', where the founder members may have met, or from a local street ''Argyle Terrace''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tonkin |first=W. S. |title=All About Argyle 1903-1963 |year=c. 1963 |pages=7}}</ref> The club adopted its current name when it became fully professional in 1903, joining the [[Southern Football League|Southern League]], under the management of [[Bob Jack]]. Argyle's first professional game was on 1 September 1903<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/TheGreatsDetail/0,,10364~421021,00.html |title=First Match–First Report from WMN 1903 |publisher=pafc.co.uk |access-date=8 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308121756/http://www.pafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/TheGreatsDetail/0%2C%2C10364~421021%2C00.html |archive-date=8 March 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> against [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] resulting in a 2–0 win for Argyle. The first home game as a fully professional club was on 5 September 1903 when Argyle beat [[Northampton Town F.C.|Northampton Town]] 2–0 in front of a crowd of 4,438. Argyle won the [[Southern Football League|Southern League]] in 1913,<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 May 1913 |title=Final League tables 1913 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003347/19130509/008/0001 |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 May 2023 |website=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |publisher=Somerset Guardian}}</ref> then in 1920 entered the [[Football League Third Division]] as a founder member, finishing 11th in its first season. [[File:PlymouthArgyleFC League Performance.svg|thumb|left|Chart of table positions of Plymouth Argyle in the Football League]] In the summer of 1924, a Plymouth Argyle team visited South America to play some exhibition football in [[Argentina]] and [[Uruguay]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Greens on Screen Tour |url=https://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/sv-tour-southamerica.asp |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=www.greensonscreen.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 August 1924 |title=Argyle in The Argentine |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000329/19240801/004/0002 |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 May 2023 |website=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |publisher=Western morning news |page=2 }}</ref> Argyle thrashed [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] 4–0 in the first game (the team which went on to win the [[1930 FIFA World Cup|first ever World Cup]] just six years later), before pulling off another shock by beating [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] 1–0.<ref>{{Cite web |last=JLeAdm |date=2022-08-16 |title=ARGYLE LEGEND {{!}} The Jack Leslie Campaign |url=https://jackleslie.co.uk/argyle-legend/ |access-date=2023-05-04 |language=en-GB |archive-date=11 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711052918/https://jackleslie.co.uk/.well-known/sgcaptcha/?r=%2Fargyle-legend%2F&y=ipr:207.241.235.240:1720675757.596 |url-status=live }}</ref> Argyle then held Argentine giants [[Boca Juniors]] to a creditable 1–1 draw. [[Moses Russell]] captained the side and played in all nine matches. Russell's style of play caught the attention of the Argentine press; at the end of the tour 'The Standard of [[Buenos Aires]]' commented: "The visit of Plymouth Argyle will be best remembered by the outstanding personality and genius of Moses Russell. His effective style, precise judgement, accurate and timely clearances, powerful kicking and no less useful work with his head...one of the most wonderful backs and one of the brainiest players ever seen on the football field." [[File:Plymouth argyle 1924.jpg|thumb|A Plymouth Argyle team during the tour on South America, 1924]] In the match against Boca Juniors on 9 July 1924, the Boca Juniors supporters invaded the pitch after their team had scored the opening goal and carried all eleven home players shoulder high around the stadium. After a half-hour delay, the referee restarted the match, but a further invasion was sparked when the referee awarded a penalty against the home side. When the match was again restarted, the Argyle players had agreed that [[Patsy Corcoran]] would take the spot-kick and miss, to prevent another [[pitch invasion]]. However, the ultra-competitive Russell was not prepared to accept this, and just before Corcoran was about to take the penalty he was pushed aside by Russell, who took it himself and scored. This prompted a further pitch invasion by the Boca fans and this time the match was abandoned.<ref name="green1">[http://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/argylehistory.asp?era=1920-1930 Chapter 13: 1920–1930] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507025020/https://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/argylehistory.asp?era=1920-1930 |date=7 May 2023 }} by Colin Parsons on Green on Screen website</ref> [[File:Plymouth argyle v argentina 1924.jpg|left|thumb|Argyle vs [[Argentina national football team]] in 1924]] Back in England, uniquely, between 1921–22 and 1926–27, Argyle finished second in the [[Football League Third Division South|Third Division South]] six seasons in a row, thereby missing promotion. Argyle eventually won promotion to Football League Division Two in 1929–30, when the club topped the Third Division South, with attendances that season regularly reaching 20,000. Manager Bob Jack resigned in 1937, having spent 27 years in charge of the Pilgrims. Eleven years earlier in 1928, [[David Jack (footballer)|David Jack]], who began his career with Argyle in 1919 but left in 1920, joined [[Arsenal F.C.]] from [[Bolton Wanderers]] for a fee of £10,890 – which made him the most expensive player in the world at the time.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8085391.stm| work=BBC News| title=History of the World Transfer Record| date=11 June 2009| access-date=17 August 2010| archive-date=11 July 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711052920/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8085391.stm| url-status=live}}</ref> He was also the first player to score at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/viewArticle.arc?articleId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1923-04-30-06-001&pageId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1923-04-30-06| work=The Times| title=FA Cup Final 1923| date=30 April 1923| access-date=17 August 2010| location=London| archive-date=11 January 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111222529/http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/viewArticle.arc?articleId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1923-04-30-06-001&pageId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1923-04-30-06| url-status=dead}}</ref>
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