Last time Plymouth Argyle were in League One it seemed preceding manager Derek Adams went the whole season unaware of his best team.
This time round, under Ryan Lowe’s stewardship, his selection headaches could already be solved.
This campaign has seen Argyle impress with their midfield and attack but struggle defensively.
Lowe is on his third centre-back partnership of the season, which now sees former Bury FC man Will Aimson and Newcastle United loanee Kelland Watts play alongside Fulham youngster Jerome Opoku.
With this change, the Green Army will be hopeful that errors at the back are a thing of the past.
Opoku is on Argyle’s books until January, when his current loan deal runs out. The 22-year-old made his debut against Hull City, where he was preferred over George Cooper at left-wing-back.
However, with the absences of Niall Canavan and Scott Wootton in the heart of defence, Opoku has spent the last five fixtures in his favoured centre-back role.
But why have Argyle gone through so many defensive pairings already?
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The first partnership
Argyle began the season playing a back three of Watts, Aimson and Wootton. Only the latter featured regularly for Plymouth last season.
The Pilgrims’ first clash saw them face Championship opposition Queens Park Rangers in the Carabao Cup.
They conceded twice thanks to an unmarked set-piece header and a low driven shot from right-back Osman Kaykay, assisted by Watts who failed to make a clean connection on his clearance.
The Jekyll and Hyde defence went on to earn all three points at home to Blackpool FC in their opening league fixture.
Lowe’s side faced 28 shots with 19 going on target, yet still managed to keep a clean sheet.
The plaudits went to then 20-year-old ‘keeper Mike Cooper and Aimson - who both impressed the fans with a solid defensive display.
Plymouth's next two fixtures against Leyton Orient and AFC Wimbledon saw the feared chinks in their armour rear its ugly head.
The Greens conceded seven goals over these two matches, with the majority deriving from individual errors.
With the side crying out for a leader in defence, one player stepped up to the mark - 29-year-old Canavan.
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Captain Canavan
Canavan came off the bench against Wimbledon, scoring Argyle’s third. With Aimson out the side having tested positive for coronavirus, Canavan was handed his first league start of the season, playing in the middle of defence with Watts and Wootton on either side.
Wearing the captain's armband due to the absences of Gary Sawyer and Joe Edwards, the Pilgrims shared the spoils with Shrewsbury Town in a 1-1 draw.
Canavan impressed Plymouth Live reporter Chris Errington, who wrote about the defenders physical and vocal presence on the pitch.
Argyle’s number six was a leader, organising the back three and bellowing encouragement to his teammates.
Canavan kept his place in the side against Hull. The Pilgrims fought well and were unfortunate to leave empty handed after Hakeeb Adelkun converted Keane Lewis-Potter's cross in the 10th minute.
The Pilgrims faced 12 shots, with only five ending up on target. Not bad considering Hull were yet to concede in the league and had picked up maximum points – occupying second place.
Comparing this performance to the season opener, against a weaker opponent, it is clear that the defence was improving.
A clean sheet against Burton Albion backed this up, and with Aimson fully recovered, Wootton was relieved of starting duties.
Lowe was almost left to rue that decision after a failed header from Aimson gave Indiana Vassilev a perfect chance to bring the sides back level. Fortunately, the shot was sent wide.
The Pilgrims' home tie against Northampton Town saw Canavan in the starting line-up for the fourth time in a row, though, all their hard work was undone with a shaky performance.
The Cobblers’ only goal of the match saw Sam Hoskins’ run from deep draw out Aimson, allowing Ricky Korboa a pocket of space on the last man.
The latter picked up the ball and drove into the box before slotting it into the bottom right corner.
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Opoku’s opportunity
A positive COVID-19 test for midfielder Conor Grant meant housemates Wootton and Canavan were forced into self-isolation by the EFL - despite both returning negative tests.
Jerome Opoku was handed his second Argyle start away at Lincoln City, this time in his preferred centre-back position.
The new partnership of Watts, Opoku and Aimson looked poor under the difficult circumstances.
The Imps put the game to bed with 20 minutes to go after Watts failed to clear Tom Hopper’s cross, instead sending a loose ball into the box which was converted in by Brennan Johnson.
A poor touch from Opoku almost sent Lincoln three goals to the good but Mike Cooper made a low save to keep Theo Archibald’s stab out.
A more solid showing followed as the Pilgrims defended more as a unit, earning themselves four points out of a possible six away to Wigan Athletic and home to Doncaster Rovers.
Errors were still being made at the back, though.
A free header inside the box against the Latics and a failed execution of an offside trap versus Rovers proved such.
This time, however, individual mistakes were not costing the side as many goals.
The most recent fixture saw a good account given against Charlton Athletic, where Argyle progressed to the second round of the FA Cup - keeping a clean sheet in the process.
Speaking to Plymouth Live at full-time, Lowe was complimentary to the three defenders.
The Plymouth boss said: “We have got a young back line there. Jerome Opoku looked like he had been playing for three or four years.
“He is doing a fantastic job for us, along with the rest of them.”
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Have these changes been positive?
Argyle started the season with an unorganised back line, awash with individual mistakes.
While this could be down to a shorter pre-season, it was clear that once Canavan started featuring for the Pilgrims the mistakes started to reduce.
However, despite facing three sides towards the bottom of the division during this period, they only managed to keep one clean sheet.
With the season well underway and Jerome Opoku in the starting line-up, the defence has gone from strength to strength.
Argyle are facing less shots on target and are conceding less goals per game on average than they were during the opening stages of the campaign.
They are conceding less goals due to mistakes, with their main issue now coming through defensive positioning, though, this should improve as the season progresses.
One thing for certain is that Watts, Opoku and Aimson will certainly look to build on their accomplishments at the Valley, as the new boys of the division plan their ascent up the table.
Plymouth Argyle’s next fixture will be a real chance to show their improvement when the South Coast side host Portsmouth this Monday - broadcast live on Sky TV.