Following the 2-0 loss to Ipswich Town on Saturday, Ian Foster has noted a few “bumps and bruises” among the Plymouth Argyle players. However, he anticipates having the entire squad available for tomorrow night’s Championship game at Sheffield Wednesday.

This week’s away games are the first of two straight for the Pilgrims, who will then travel to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday in an attempt to gain momentum after being brought to within two points of the relegation zone. Sheffield Wednesday had won four of its previous five games, including a 1-0 triumph over their next-door rivals Rotherham United, to move into 23rd place, just five points behind Argyle in 16th.

This morning at Home Park, Foster updated the press on his team before bringing the players in for a training session. He stated: “Everyone is fine, everyone has come through the (Ipswich) game; a few bumps and bruises as you would expect from a tough encounter but we are okay, we are healthy.”

Despite having only one point from a very difficult run of home league games, Argyle has won two of its past three away games, defeating Middlesbrough 2-0 and Swansea City 1-0 before losing 3-1 at Sunderland.

Ryan Hardie, the striker, will be looking to score in his third straight away game following his outstanding goals against Middlesbrough and Sunderland. Foster believed that even though he had been hurt against Ipswich, he would be OK to play Sheffield Wednesday.

Foster stated: “We will get a decent assessment of him (Hardie) today in terms of our tactical work on the grass and see how he is. They were in yesterday, but it was a recovery session.” It was pretty uncomfortable for him, even though I believe it was simply a hard knock.”

It is clear how important the match against Sheffield Wednesday is. If Argyle wins, they will have an eight-point advantage over the Owls; if they lose, that advantage will be reduced to two points.

Foster stated: “Getting the guys ready is never a problem because they are prepared for every game. There is healthy competition among the players for spots, and all are eager to compete. We are genuinely looking forward to the challenge of travelling to Sheffield on Wednesday and attempting to secure a victory there because we understand the significance of every single game, not just this one.”

Eight teams, ranging from Argyle in 16th place to Sheffield Wednesday in 23rd, are separated by just five points as the Championship’s lowest eight teams get closer together.

Foster stated: “It is evident from the league table how competitive the division is. We are aware of that. We are, I believe, four points off the midtable.”

Following their road victories against Swansea and Middlesbrough, Argyle will have another opportunity to capture crucial points in their pursuit of securing their Championship status for 2024–2025 when they go to Hillsborough.

Foster declared: “Our confidence is not low. I know that some fans may be critical of the recent run of games we have had at Home Park, but we must appreciate the calibre of our opponents. It’s been quite difficult.

“We still firmly believe in our goals and objectives. The players have been told that as long as we continue to perform at our current level in other games, we should be able to get points from them.”I just think that every game we play, we have a chance to put three points on the board,” he said. We always think like that, and Tuesday night is no exception.

“We are aware of how difficult the game will be. They’re playing pretty well right now, but we’ve been playing well away from home lately, so we’re excited and hopeful that this will be a fantastic football match. These are the ones that we eagerly anticipate. We are eager to visit Sheffield and introduce ourselves to the public.”

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