Plymouth Argyle attacker Caleb Watts is targeting two Wembley dates this season after returning from injury in recent weeks.
The 24-year-old joined the Pilgrims last summer after rejecting a contract extension at Exeter City. With his new club having dropped down to League One, the expectation was that he would be involved in a serious push for promotion.
Watts started the opening eight league games of the season, where it soon became evident that Plymouth would not have it all their own way. They lost five of those fixtures before the former Southampton youngster grabbed his first goal in his new surroundings during a 4-2 win over Stockport County in September.
Disaster struck a week later though, when the new recruit was forced off with a hamstring injury against Luton Town after just four minutes. This later required surgery which ruled him out of action until New Year’s Day.
Watts Keen To Impact Promotion Push
Not many people would put the words ‘Plymouth’ and ‘promotion’ in the same sentence at the moment, especially after they only moved out of the relegation places a couple of weeks ago. However, they are on a run of just one league defeat in seven, which has seen them move up to 16th.
Despite that, the Devon-based side remain just three points above 21st-placed Burton Albion. Still, League One remains as tight as ever and the gap to Bolton Wanderers in sixth is not insurmountable.
For Watts, a place in the play-offs is certainly still achievable. Having scored in the 4-3 win over Bristol Rovers in the Vertu Trophy on Tuesday, the attacking midfielder is targeting two dates at the national stadium. Via Plymouth Live, he said:
“I didn’t come here to play in League One for three seasons. I think to win the Vertu (Trophy) and try and get in the play-offs would be my goals for the rest of the season. I can’t speak for anyone else, but that’s what I’d want to happen in the season.
“I think both the targets are realistic targets. I think we’re good enough football team to get in the play-offs and they’re good enough football team to win the Vertu
“Yeah, I didn’t come here to play in League One for the next three years. And I don’t think many of the players here did, and obviously, we’ve got a lot of work to do to make that happen.”
Is A Top Six Finish Realistic?
We’re only just over halfway through the season, so there is still all to play for. The gap to the play-offs is just nine points, but Plymouth have 10 teams to move above to sneak into the top six.
There’s also Barnsley, who currently sit just one point below the Pilgrims and have four games in hand. Still, it’s far from an impossible task. Doncaster Rovers are recent proof of that.
The South Yorkshire-based side left it even later in League Two during the 2023/24 campaign. They sat 20th in the division at the beginning of March before a staggering 10-game winning run catapulted them to fifth.
Tom Cleverley’s side are certainly showing signs of turning a corner. Whether they can ‘do a Doncaster’ remains to be seen, but Watts is certainly confident.