Two clubs, two very different starts for Devon’s EFL rivals

The opening month of the 2026-27 season has provided a fascinating contrast between Devon’s two EFL clubs, with Plymouth Argyle making a positive start in League One while Exeter City have found life considerably tougher in League Two.

For Argyle, there is plenty of reason for optimism. After six league matches, they sit sixth in League One with 10 points, having won three, drawn one and lost two. Their goal difference is a healthy +2, with 10 goals scored and eight conceded.

Argyle finding their feet

Tom Cleverley’s side could hardly have wished for a more dramatic opening to the campaign.

The season began with a 2-0 victory over Exeter in the League Cup at Home Park, giving Argyle local bragging rights before the league campaign had even begun.

However, the opening League One fixture brought a reality check as Stockport County won 3-1 at Home Park. Argyle responded with a useful 1-1 draw away to Wycombe before returning to winning ways with a 2-0 home victory over Bradford City.

A 2-0 defeat at Leicester threatened to interrupt that progress, but Argyle responded impressively on the road, beating Doncaster Rovers 3-2 before producing perhaps their most convincing league performance of the campaign so far — a 3-0 home victory over Barnsley.

That sequence means Argyle have collected seven points from their last three league matches and have climbed into the play-off positions.

There is still work to do. Two defeats in the opening six games, including the heavy home loss to Stockport, show that Cleverley’s side are not yet the finished article. But there is also evidence of resilience: each time they have suffered a setback, they have responded with points in the following game.

The 3-0 win over Barnsley was particularly encouraging, and with three wins already on the board, Argyle have given themselves a platform from which to build.

The next test comes at Blackpool on Saturday, with Argyle sixth and Blackpool currently 10th.

Exeter facing an early battle

Across the Devon Expressway, the mood is rather different.

Exeter City's return to League Two has proved challenging, with the Grecians sitting 20th after six matches on five points. They have won once, drawn twice and lost three times, scoring just four goals in the process.

The campaign began with a narrow 1-0 defeat at Grimsby, followed by an encouraging 2-0 home victory over Accrington Stanley. But that win has proved the exception rather than the beginning of a sustained run of form.

Exeter subsequently lost 2-1 at York before drawing 1-1 with Barnet and 0-0 at Walsall. The latest setback came at Port Vale on Saturday, when a 70th-minute penalty condemned the Grecians to a 1-0 defeat.

The most obvious concern is in front of goal. Exeter have scored only four times in six league matches — the lowest tally among the clubs in the top 20 of the current League Two table. Their defensive record is considerably more respectable, with only five conceded, but too many matches have been decided by fine margins.

There have nevertheless been signs that Exeter can compete. They have kept three clean sheets in their six league matches, while the 2-0 win over Accrington showed what they are capable of when they combine defensive organisation with attacking efficiency.

The problem is consistency.

Plenty still to play for

It is far too early to draw firm conclusions about either club, but after six league games the two Devon sides find themselves heading in different directions.

Argyle are sixth, already occupying a play-off position and coming off successive league victories. Exeter are 20th, with only five points and a goal shortage that will need addressing.

Yet the gap is hardly insurmountable. The early League Two table is tightly packed, and Exeter are only three points behind 14th-placed Oldham.

For Argyle, the challenge is to turn a promising start into a sustained promotion push. For Exeter, it is about finding the goals and victories needed to move away from the wrong end of the table.

And with so much of the season still to come, neither Devon club will be judging its campaign on the basis of six matches.

But if the opening weeks are anything to go by, Argyle supporters have considerably more reason for optimism than their neighbours at St James Park.

The Gulls beginning to soar

For Devon’s third professional club, Torquay United, the challenge for this season is all about being third time lucky.

United have suffered play-off heartbreak in the past two campaigns and enter the National League South season as perennial favourites to again challenge for the title.

Football, however, is never so simple.

Three home draws brought plenty of frustration for the Yellow Army and the away form has seen two wins and two defeats.

Manager Jimmy Ball reduced some slight pressure with a battling victory over Folkestone and the weekend draw with Dorking was a humdinger between two of the best sides in this division.

Arguably the big test for Ball has been off the pitch, with three leading performers leaving in quick succession: Dylan Morgan to Crawley, Jordan Young to Worthing and Sam Dreyer to Harrogate.

United have enjoyed the financial windfall but Ball has been forced to move quickly for replacements. This weekend brings a visit from AFC Stoneham in the FA Cup and, while a run in this competition is financially important, it is all about promotion at Plainmoor.