Plymouth Argyle's Injury Setback: Alex Hartridge Out for a Month

Plymouth Argyle have been dealt a significant defensive setback with Alex Hartridge facing up to a month on the sidelines after damaging ankle ligaments.

The 27-year-old summer signing, who arrived on a free transfer and has quickly become a regular, picked up the injury late on in Saturday’s 3-2 win at Doncaster Rovers after coming off the bench. Scans have confirmed ligament damage, leaving Argyle braced for a spell without a player who had featured in every game of the season so far.

Hartridge’s start to life at Home Park had been close to ideal. The former Exeter City and Wycombe Wanderers defender scored on his debut in the Carabao Cup against Exeter and slotted smoothly into Tom Cleverley’s plans, offering experience and balance across the back line. Now Argyle must reshuffle.

He is the latest name added to a treatment room that is starting to feel uncomfortably busy. Michael Baidoo is already ruled out until November with a hamstring problem, while Malachi Boateng and Jack MacKenzie are also missing.

"It's another unfortunate one," head coach Tom Cleverley told BBC South West, his frustration clear. "It's one of those things, it happens in football. We've got four boys out at the minute, Macca is one we've carried from last year and two from innocuous challenges with Alex and Malachi.

"They're not load management, they're not staffing problems, they're just part and parcel of a contact sport.

"Michael Baidoo's the one that we can review and analyse how we can manage better, or the player can manage better, but the injury numbers have been very pleasing and three out of the four we have got out have been either carried over from last season or contact knocks."

Cleverley’s message is blunt: this is not a crisis of preparation, but the reality of a long, physical campaign. Even so, losing a dependable defender who had quickly become a constant in the side forces an early test of Argyle’s depth and resilience.

With four players out and fixtures coming thick and fast, the question now is how long this promising start can hold under the strain.