Plymouth Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley has doubled down on his criticism of the match officials from their 3-2 win over Luton Town last week, despite receiving a FA charge.
The Pilgrims have recovered from a poor start to the season by winning three of their last four League One outings. This includes a maximum points haul from their last two, a feat which is even more impressive when considering that those victories came against promotion contenders Stockport County and Luton Town.
The latter saw Cleverley’s side emerge with a dramatic 3-2 win, despite playing with 10 men for the final 40 minutes after Joe Edwards received a straight red card. The head coach also received his marching orders midway through the second half, leading to a misconduct charge and touchline ban.
Cleverley Responds To Charge
The former Watford boss will have to watch Saturday’s visit of Peterborough United from the stands after the FA dished out his punishment earlier today. As a result, assistant Damon Lathrope and first-team coach Kevin Nancekivell will now oversee affairs from the dugout.
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) September 18, 2025
Speaking to BBC Radio Devon, Cleverley maintained his belief that the referee’s performance at Kenilworth Road was below par:
“I thought there was an inconsistency in the decisions and I voiced that.
“I’m not going to be in the dugout on Saturday. I’ve got a great staff that will take care of things at pitch level.
“I’ll prepare the team as usual, I’ll be in the dressing room as usual and sometimes it can be an advantage to see the game from a different perspective and not be as emotionally invested.
“We’ll make the best of it on Saturday, there’ll be absolutely no difference in terms of preparation and performance and I’ve got Damo and Nance down there who will voice the guys and voice the messages we need to.”
Writer’s View
Tom Cleverley has always been one to speak his mind. He made his point clear to the referee during the win over Luton last week and it was always unlikely that he was going to take a different view of matters upon reflection. The FA have given the former England international until September 22nd to respond. Judging by his latest comments, it’s unlikely that an apology is going to be forthcoming any time soon. Instead, he is seeing the positives of being able to watch his team from a different perspective as they go in search for a third successive win.
