The newly-signed 25-year-old will not play in the behind-closed-doors away game against an un-named League One side tomorrow

New signing Conor Hazard looks likely to make his first Plymouth Argyle appearance in the pre-season game away to Torquay United next Tuesday.

The Northern Ireland international trained with his new team-mates for the first time yesterday (Thursday) after working with goalkeeping coach Darren Behcet for the previous couple of days.

Hazard will not be involved in the behind-closed-doors away game against an un-named League One side tomorrow, when Callum Burton and first-year professional will again be the two available ‘keepers.

The 25-year-old former Celtic shot-stopper joined Argyle on Tuesday on a three-year contract for a transfer fee in the region of £150,000.

Manager Steven Schumacher said yesterday: “Today was his first day with the group. He trained with Darren (on Monday) and Tuesday so it’s too soon for him.

“He has had a bit of a time off from his season so he won’t be ready for matches, and striking balls over big distances. He will maybe get some minutes on Tuesday, all going well.”

Argyle have had two pre-season games so far, beating Hearts 1-0 in Spain last week before beating Plymouth Parkway 2-0 at Bolitho Park on Tuesday night.

Schumacher said: “We need to start building up more minutes in people now so the plan will be for a lot of people to play 60 minutes on Saturday and then the ones who don’t do, we will try and do that at Torquay.”

 

Argyle have had to revise their pre-season schedule after taking the decision to call off games at Home Park against Forest Green Rovers and Salford City later this month.

The pitch has been resurfaced after the staging of a Rod Stewart concert on June 24, since when Argyle’s grounds manager Chris Ralph and his team have been working flat out on it to prepare it for the new season.

Argyle will still play Forest Green on Saturday, July 22, but behind closed doors at their Harper’s Park training ground, but the visit of Salford has been cancelled.

Schumacher revealed the decision had been taken following talks between him, Ralph and Argyle’s Head of Venue, Conferencing and Events, Christian Kent.

He said: “The pitch looks okay from the side, although the grass is a lot longer than what we would ever play on it, but when you get on it, it’s really soft underfoot and it hasn’t bedded in properly.

“We are going to play Forest Green at Harper’s so that will be behind closed doors, and cancelling the Salford game gives us a full week to get some proper training in.”

Calling off the two games at Home Park means Argyle’s summer signings will not get the chance to run out at the Theatre of Greens and play in front of a crowd before the 2023/24 Championship season-opener against Huddersfield Town on Saturday, August 5.

Schumacher does not believe that will be a problem, though. He said: “Kaine Kesler-Hayden has played here before, so has Lewis Gibson.

“Julio (Pleguezuelo) hasn’t or Conor Hazard, but they know what the pitch is like, they know how good the fans are.

“I think it might add to the fact they haven’t played on it before. It will probably increase the excitement for them and the anticipation – and the new players that we bring in as well, some of them might have played here also.”

Schumacher was asked whether Argyle could have done anything different to have avoided the decision to call off the games at Home Park, specifically staging the Rod Stewart concert towards the end of June.

He replied: “At the time we felt it might have been okay. Ralphy said it was always going to be touch and go with the weather conditions we have had.

“We just didn’t feel it was worth taking a risk from an injury point of view. If the players go out and the pitch moves that puts players from both teams at risk, which we didn’t need to do, and it could also have a detrimental effect on the pitch as well in the longer run.

“In future, we will probably get the concerts a little bit earlier if we can just so this doesn’t happen again, or have pre-season games later.”

Schumacher stated it was ‘unlikely’ there would be any more new signings before the away game against the League One club but added: “Hopefully we might get some in at the start of next week.”

As it stands, Argyle are probably looking to make around six more additions to their squad between now and the end of the summer transfer window.

For the time being, some of the club’s teenage talent are getting invaluable playing time, such as Freddie Issaka and Henry Donovan, who both featured in the win against Parkway.

Second-year apprentice Jack Matthews, a central midfielder and former student of Treviglas Academy in Newquay, will travel with the Argyle squad to their game tomorrow.

Schumacher said: “Freddie looks as though he belongs in this environment, but he’s not the only one. I think young Henry Donovan, the first time we have seen him in pre-season, did really well the other night.

“I watched the game back and he was really calm and assured. We have seen a bit of Caleb Roberts over the last couple of years and it looks like he’s growing and doing better.

“Sometimes we are frustrated we haven’t got new signings in and new people training with us right now but we are getting an opportunity to see the young players of our own, stepping into training and doing really well.

“We are going to take Jack Matthews with us on Saturday because he has trained with us the last few days and has been outstanding.”