Plymouth Argyle hosted AFC Wimbledon at Home Park on October 10, 2026, for a League One fixture kicking off at 12:30 p.
m.
The hosts aimed to defend their position at the top of the table, but head coach Tom Cleverley made one change to the team that beat Leyton Orient.
Caleb Watts came into the forward line after leading scorer Bim Pepple suffered a hamstring injury.
According to Plymouth Herald, Argyle entered the match ahead of Bradford City on goal difference after securing a 2-0 away victory against Leyton Orient the previous weekend.
That result followed a 1-0 home defeat to Burton Albion on September 26.
Pepple, who had scored seven goals, was ruled out after experiencing hamstring tightness during training on Thursday.
A scan conducted on Friday indicated that the forward could miss approximately one week, with a possible return for the Huddersfield fixture.
Cleverley explained that the medical assessment left little room to justify risking the striker, particularly with an important run of fixtures approaching.
"Obviously, it's a big loss for us being our focal point and our top goalscorer but it was a risk we couldn't afford to take," said Cleverley.
"Thursday, Bim had a bit of tightness in his hamstring so we were a little bit concerned about it and we sent him for a scan yesterday."
"That gave us the result of something that will see him out for about a week so we may have him back for Huddersfield but it would have been too much of a risk today."
"It's not something we are too worried about long term.
We have got a really important game today but we have also got a real important block of games coming up that he will be an important player for us in."
"Today was simply too much risk and there was no decision to be made after we got the scan result."
Argyle's starting lineup featured Murphy Cooper, Mathias Ross, Harvey White, Joe Edwards, Will Evans, Ronan Curtis, Oliver Irow, Alex Mitchell, Caleb Watts, Bradley Ibrahim and Wes Harding.
Edwards captained the side.
The home team's substitutes were James Storer, Jack MacKenzie, Xavier Amaechi, Tyreeq Bakinson, Alex Hartridge, Matty Sorinola and Seb Campbell.
AFC Wimbledon named Josef Bursik, Steve Seddon, Ollie Harrison, Ryan Johnson, Callum Maycock, Jayden Stockley, Alistair Smith, Andy Yiadom, Myles Hippolyte, Aron Sasu and Isaac Ogundere in their starting lineup.
Johnson wore the captain's armband.
Wimbledon's substitutes were Nathan Bishop, Steven Sessegnon, Zack Nelson, Marcus Browne, Freddie Simmonds, Riley Horan and Harry Cornick.
According to the pre-match figures published by Plymouth Herald, Argyle had collected 63 points from 32 League One matches in 2026, recording 19 wins, six draws and seven defeats.
That total was four points higher than any other side in the division over the same period and 11 more than ever-present rival Stockport, which had accumulated 52.
Argyle had also won four of their previous five league meetings with Wimbledon, although the visitors won the corresponding fixture last season 2-1.
Wimbledon had lost four of their previous five league visits to Home Park, with one victory in that sequence.
The visitors arrived on a four-match unbeaten league run, comprising two wins and two draws.
Their most recent match was a 1-1 away draw against Cambridge United on September 26, when they conceded a late goal.
Wimbledon stood ninth with 12 points from eight games before the meeting.
The previous meeting at Home Park on October 18, 2025, ended in a 2-1 Wimbledon victory.
Lorent Tolaj scored for Argyle, while Omar Bugiel and Marcus Browne found the net for the visitors.
