What now for Plymouth Argyle?

After a 46-game League One season, there will undoubtedly be disappointment for everyone connected with Plymouth Argyle. A seventh-place finish on paper looks respectable, and in time it will be considered something of a success.

However, in the first few days and weeks after a gruelling campaign has come to a close, manager, players and fans alike will no doubt be thinking “what if” as the club missed out on earning a place in the end-of-season play-offs.

Just three points separated Plymouth and Lee Bowyer’s Charlton Athletic in the final League One table. Though not a lot, it ultimately was still a handful of points too many, and the club must prepare themselves for another season in England’s third tier.

What exactly do the club need to do over the course of the summer to not only sustain the level that they are currently at but also to kick on and be in with a chance of competing for promotion to the Championship in 12 months’ time.

When looking at the final League One table, something that is apparent is the fact that they finished as high as they did with a negative goal difference. They scored 58 goals – subsequently the same amount as Charlton.

However, for all their endeavour in the final third of the pitch, it was arguably the opposite end that undid all their hard work – that is because 59 goals were shipped to the opposition, the highest tally of the top eight teams in the division.

Therefore, if Plymouth are to make more of a fight of it in League One next season, then a shoring up of the backline looks like a top priority for manager Derek Adams. The 42-year-old took charge of the club in June 2015, and it is fair to say that from there they have never looked back.

In his maiden managerial season, Adams took Plymouth to the League Two play-off final, something that the fans had not tasted for 20 years. His second season in charge saw Argyle narrowly miss out on the title but assured them promotion nonetheless.

Although there will undoubtedly be disappointment for Plymouth, there should be no forgetting that their trajectory under Adams has been nothing short of incredible, and the hope if not the expectation is that this upward curve of momentum continues.

Now that they have found their feet in League One, they will know what to expect for the 2018/19 season that lies in wait, and they will be a good bet on www.stakers.com to win the league next time around.

Geographically, Plymouth are in a catchment area with not a great deal of other clubs around them, so should they continue their rise through the divisions, there is absolutely no reason why they cannot become something of a regional superpower.

There is no doubting that the South West is a hotbed of football, a point that sometimes has a habit of being overlooked by the London-centric press, and if Plymouth can continue this impressive streak next season, then there is absolutely no reason why the club cannot go from strength to strength.