THE fixture list for the 2016-17 League Two seaso sees Plymouth Argyle up against Luton Town in their first match of the new campaign.
The home game versus the division’s second favourites will take place on Saturday, August 6.
The Pilgrims’ second league match will involve a 750-mile round-trip to Carlisle United on Saturday, August 13. Before that Argyle will have played an away midweek match in the League Cup against Championship side Reading.
The first midweek league match is against former Argyle manager John Sheridan at Notts County on Tuesday, August 16.
Over the August bank holiday weekend, Argyle will be on another long haul, this time to newly-relegated Blackpool, whose attack will be led by former Pilgrims loanee Jamille Matt. The match takes place on Saturday, August 27. At the other end of the season, manager Derek Adams and his squad will face four of their last six fixtures away from Home Park. The final game involves a 700-mile round-trip to play Grimsby Town on Saturday, May 6, 2017.
The derby matches with Exeter City will be away on Saturday, September 17, and at home on Saturday, February 11.
The Pilgrims will be at home for two festive holiday fixtures – against Wycombe Wanderers on Boxing Day (Monday, December 26), and Crawley Town on New Year’s Eve. On Monday, January 2, they are away to Barnet. The Easter period sees a possible Good Friday game at Portsmouth on April 14, followed by a home match against Newport County on Easter Monday, April 17.
The League Cup – now called the EFL Cup and formerly known as the Capital One Cup – will see Derek Adams take on the tactical strategies of former Manchester United, AC Milan and Netherlands defender Jaap Stam who has replaced Brain McDermott as Reading manager at the Madjeski Stadium.
The Reading squad could potentially include Craig Tanner, who joined Argyle for the entire 2015-16 season on loan from the Royals.
Meanwhile, Connor Smith, who was part of the AFC Wimbledon team which beat Argyle in the League Two promotion play-off final at Wembley in May is joining the Pilgrims.
The 23-year-old was born in Canada, but grew up in Ireland, and has played for the nation’s Under-21 side four times. He has also represented the republic at under-19 and under-17 level.
Connor, who was a runner-up in 2010 in the Sky television show Football’s Next Star, has described himself as a box-to-box central midfield player, though he can play on the right, as he did for Wimbledon at Wembley.
In another development, Argyle issued a statement on Wednesday which said: ‘Following newspaper reports linking Barnsley with our captain Curtis Nelson, we can confirm that we have rejected a derisory offer from them for the player.’