Honours: Champions League Winners 2001/02
                Division 1 Winners               2006/06  (season 20, P29)
                Division 1 Winners               2004/04  (season 17, P29)
                Division 1 Winners               2003/04  (season 16, P29)
                Division 1 Winners               2003/03  (season 15, P29)
                Division 1 Winners               2002/02  (season 14, P29)
                Division 1 Winners               2001/01  (season 12, P29)
                Division 1 Winners               2000/01  (season 11, P29)
                Division 1 Winners               2000/00  (season 10, P29)
                Division 1 Winners               1997/98  (season 7,   P29)
                Division 1 Winners               1996/97  (season 6,   P29)
                Knockout Cup Winners         2001/01  (season 12, P29)
                Knockout Cup Winners         2000/01  (season 11, P29)
                Knockout Cup Winners         1995/96  (season 5,   P29)
                League Cup Winners            2006/06  (season 20, P29)
                League Cup Winners            1995/96  (season 5,   P29)
                League Cup Winners            1994/95  (season 4,   P29)
                Ashton Cup Winners             2006/06  (season 20, P29)
                Ashton Cup Winners             2005/05  (season 18, P29)

                Division 1 Runner Up           1999/99  (2nd in season 9, P29)
                Division 1 Runner Up           1995/96  (2nd in season 5, P29)
                Division 1 Runner Up           2005/05  (4th in season 18, P29)
                Division 1 Runner Up           2001/02  (4th in season 13, P29)
                Division 2 Runner Up           1995/96  (3rd in season 5, P29)
                Knockout Cup Runner Up     2004/04  (season 17, P29)
                Knockout Cup Runner Up     2000/00  (season 10, P29)
                Knockout Cup Runner Up     1997/98  (season 7, P29)
                League Cup Runner Up        2004/04  (season 17, P29)
                League Cup Runner Up        2000/00  (season 10, P29)
                Ashton Cup Runner Up         2004/04  (season 17, P29)

Record Transfer Fee Paid: £21,500,000 to Crapston Mackers for Stick Ball ATT 8, 27 yrs,                                              October 2005 (season 19, P29).

Record Transfer Fee Received: £5,600,000 from Huddersfield Terriers for Martin
                                                   Watson ATT 8+ 27 yrs, March 2002 (season 13, P29).

Record Attendance: 100,000 v Huddersfield Terriers, match 22, Division 1, March 2000
                                                                                                                   (season 11, P29).

Record Wins: 7-3 v Half Time Oranges, KO Cup Qtr Final Replay 2004 (season 17)
                      6-0 v FC Fulchester, match 29, Division 1 2000/01 (season 11, P29).

Record Defeat: 4-0 v Extrusioneers, match 29, Division 1 2002/02 (season 14, P29).

Top Scorer In A Season: Julian Kemp 25 goals, Division 1, 2000/01 (season 11, P29).

Club Record Goals: 125 goals scored in Division 1, 2000/01 (season 11 P29).

Best Defensive Record: 8 goals conceded in Division 1, 2000/01 (season 11 P29).

Club Record Points: 129 points scored in Division 1, 2000/01 (season 11 P29).

Longest Unbeaten Run: 43 matches in Division 1, 1999/00 (season 9, P29).

Home Colours: Green Shirts, White Shorts, White Socks.
Away Colours: White Shirts, Blue Shorts, Blue Socks.

Club History

The Early Years - 1991-1996

Plymouth Pilgrims were named after the Football League club Plymouth Argyle whose nickname is "The Pilgrims".

Plymouth Pilgrims were original members of Apex Soccer League Premier 29 which began in 1991. Starting in division 2 Plymouth were managed by Chris Ashton for their first 5 seasons. A good opening campaign in 1991/92 saw Plymouth finish 5th, and in season 2 the club were promoted to division 1 after finishing 3rd in division 2. The Mighty Pilgrims made an immediate impact on division 1 in season 3 and claimed 2nd place behind Beatty Road Utd. Season 5 in saw Plymouth drop to 5th in division 1, but they did win the League Cup!

In season 6 1995/96 Chris Ashton was a whisker away from leading Plymouth to the treble. The Mighty Pilgrims retained the League Cup and won the Knockout Cup, but despite 120 goals and only 3 defeats they were just beaten to the Div 1 title by Melville Wanderers. Chris Ashton had also been elected as P29 International manager, but resigned from his job with Plymouth Pilgrims and P29 in 1996.

Mick Bartle of Huddersfield Terriers discovered that P29 giants Plymouth Pilgrims were managerless. Mick alerted rival P3 manager Ishvar Sheran, who applied for the vacant post at Welcombe Park. Ishvar was appointed Plymouth's new manager after match 24 of the 1996/97 season.

Ishvar took 'The Mighty Pilgrims' from 2nd to 1st place, overtaking early pacesetters Loweswater as Plymouth won their first P29 Division 1 title at last! More success followed in 1997/98 as Ishvar, and his assistant for season 7 Jon Woodruff, overcame an indifferent start to storm back and win a 2nd Division 1 title - 2 points ahead of Mick Bartle's Huddersfield Terriers in 2nd. Plymouth also finished runners up in the Knockout Cup after a surprise 0-1 defeat in the final to CFK Augartenstrabe.

Season 8 was Plymouth's worst. They lost to Huddersfield in the League Cup 1st round, and went out to Madison County in the Knockout Cup 2nd round. The club's below par season saw them finish in 6th place while rivals Huddersfield won the treble. The Mighty Pilgrims came back fired up in season 9 but Loweswater pipped Plymouth to the 1st division title by 4 points, and the club finished empty handed.

Three Golden Seasons Of Success Begin

Season 10 signaled an unparalleled period of success for Plymouth Pilgrims. The club raced away to win their third P29 division 1 title, finishing 9 points clear of Huddersfield in 2nd. But Huddersfield gained some revenge by winning the League Cup and the Knockout Cup - beating Plymouth in both finals. The League Cup loss was the hardest to take as The Terriers won it on away goals.

In season 11 The Mighty Pilgrims were in a different class as they set a new points record of 129 in winning division 1, scoring 125 goals and conceding just 8. They finished a massive 22 points clear of Huddersfield who again were 2nd. Plymouth were determined to add a cup win to their titles at long last, and they did so after a thrilling 3-2 win over Huddersfield in the Knockout Cup Final. Huddersfield were consoled by yet another League Cup win, but Plymouth's dominance in P29 was clear.

Premier 29 & Premier 8 Merge

Plymouth, Huddersfield and Loweswater found their position as top dogs under threat after Premier 8's top sides joined Premier 29. Extrusioneers and Exiles were class opposition and Extrusioneers were one of the most successful teams in Apex. Extrusioneers showed their class by leading division 1 up to match 36. But Plymouth got their noses in front and with 2 games left to play were a point ahead. Loweswater's timely 3-1 win over Extrusioneers confirmed Plymouth as P29 Champions for the 5th time and they claimed a historic "3rd title in a row". It was a hard won and extremely satisfying title success for 'The Mighty Pilgrims' who had seen off the challenge of Premier 29 AND Premier 8's top sides! Another double was achieved as Plymouth retained the Knockout Cup on penalties vs Huddersfield after a replay.

Season 13 saw the Plymouth dominance finally ended as they finished 4th after a close title race saw Loweswater win their 2nd title. The top 4 of Loweswater, Exiles, Extrusioneers and Plymouth were separated by only 4 points. Plymouth were also out of both cups but took heart from success in the 5th Champions League.

Champions League Winners 2002 !!!

As P29 season 14 unfolded Plymouth's fans were in jubilation as their team surged towards Champions League glory! After safely qualifying from Group 4 Plymouth found themselves as one of the favourites for the Champions Cup. In the knockout phase comfortable wins over Taynuilt Tigers (P56), Golden Boys (P11) and Portsmouth City (P27) saw Plymouth reach the Section A Semi Finals. There they faced their P29 nemesis Extrusioneers - a team who they had played 8 times and beaten just once!

Extrusioneers were fresh from a 5-0 demolition of P27's top side Cascarino's Gunners in the Quarter Finals. The Pilgrims did well to sneak a narrow 1-0 1st leg lead but were predicted to lose the away leg at Extrusioneers like Cascarino's before them. But The Mighty Pilgrims produced the best result in the club's history to win 3-0 at Extrusioneers and go through 4-0 on aggregate!

A tense Section A Final followed against the joint favourites Byron Park (P61), but Plymouth ran out worthy 2-1 winners to reach The Champions League Grand Final! Amazingly it was Ishvar Sheran's other side - P3's Inter Norwich that faced Plymouth in the Grand Final. No one could have predicted Plymouth would destroy the Canaries 4-0 in the 1st leg. But the player's desire to win the ultimate prize in Apex Soccer was clear. Plymouth were always destined to be one of the biggest and best clubs and they proved it in style. The Mighty Pilgrims went on to lift The Champions Cup and were crowned Champions of all Apex Soccer!!!

An Amazing 4 Titles In A Row For Pilgrims!

By the time P29 season 14 reached it's climax, 4 months had passed since Plymouth's Champions League win. The squad had changed significantly from the one that entered the Champions League in August 2001 (and ultimately won it in August 2002). It was now time to prove that Plymouth's current crop of players were still the best around. After finishing a disappointing 4th and with no silverware in season 13 some said 'The Mighty Pilgrims' had peaked and would go into decline after their Champions League win, but manager Ishvar Sheran vowed to prove the critics wrong .

Season 14 turned out to be an epic struggle between old rivals Plymouth and Huddersfield. Things were going well until a 4-0 thrashing by Extrusioneers dented Plymouth's hopes and allowed Huddersfield to close to within a point of the Pilgrims. Plymouth were also dumped out of both cups early on for the 2nd season running and the club faced a crisis of confidence. However the defeats galvanised the team who kept their noses in front of Huddersfield in division 1 all the way to match 46 when they faced a must win match vs reigning champions Loweswater. Plymouth battled their way to a 1-0 win over Loweswater to clinch a historic 6th title by just 1 point from Huddersfield Terriers!

With increasing competition due to new re-rating rules and the addition of more experienced managers joining P29, season 15 was another challenge to the Pilgrims domination. However the hunger to remain the best was clear as The Mighty Pilgrims led from match 8. Cup success was high on the Pilgrims agenda and after beating Extrusioneers and Chaddlewood things looked good until a double semi final defeat to Huddersfield! But the cup setbacks coupled with league defeats at match 40 and 41 ignited a Plymouth backlash as the Pilgrims shook off the challenge of Extrusioneers and Chaddlewood to claim their 7th P29 title in 10 seasons!

In Season 16 cup success was again targeted as a priority but a sending off in the League Cup cost Plymouth dear as they went out to FC Cypria. The KO Cup looked promising until a 1-2 semi final defeat to Huddersfield again! Plymouth were hard done by having outplayed their rivals only to lose to 2 goals against the run of play. The division 1 title also looked to be slipping away as Extrusioneers, who'd led from the opening day of the season, had an 8 point lead with 6 games to go! However Plymouth took advantage of Extrusioneers dropping points and in match 43 a decisive 2-0 victory over Extrusioneers followed by a superb 1-0 win at Welsh Warriors put Plymouth only a point behind going into the last 2 games. Extrusioneers 2-1 defeat to 3rd placed Chaddlewood in match 45 saw the Pilgrims go top, and a win in match 46 clinched Plymouth's 8th P29 title!

Onto season 17 and Plymouth faced the challenge of up and coming Stanion Lions, and Cruachan Blades who had arrived from P56. The title race was a close call right up until the last 2 games, but despite never pulling away Plymouth always looked the team most capable of winning the title. According to manager Ishvar Sheran the team's vast experience and focused intent was the key to winning an astonishing 9th title in 12 seasons!! Cup success also beckoned as the Pilgrims reached the finals of three cup competitions! However appalling luck with sendings off in The Ashton Cup Final, League Cup Final 1st leg, and KO Cup Final replay contributed to Plymouth having to settle for being triple cup runners up. A cup win eluded the Pilgrims by the narrowest of margins on three occasions, and it didn't help that it was arch rivals Huddersfield who denied Plymouth in the League and KO Cup finals again. Nonetheless season 17 was a spectacular success for the club overall with a 4th division 1 title on the trot! Indeed as a fitting reward for leading his teams of galacticos to a 9th P29 title manager Ishvar Sheran was awarded the title of "Sir Ishvar".

With more top managers promoted to division 1 competition was intense in P29 season 18. After an awful start the champions found themselves in 16th after 12 games, but the Pilgrims recovered in the second half of the season to reach a very respectable 4th place. Even more importantly the Pilgrims won The Ashton Cup! However it was Welsh Warriors who were the big news as they won the treble.

Season 19 saw Plymouth suffer the worst start in their history as they somehow lost to 3 much weaker teams in the first 4 games. But the Pilgrims recovered to a superb 3rd place by match 46, however it was Welsh Warriors who won the coveted P29 crown for a second season running.

Ten Titles Sheran !!

Season 20 was a landmark season for 'The Mighty Pilgrims'. Ishvar Sheran, in his 10th year in charge, led Plymouth to a sensational 10th Premier 29 Division 1 win in 2006. It was the Pilgrims 10th P29 championship win in only 15 seasons - an outstanding achievement considering P29 division 1 was stronger than ever before with many of the best managers in Apex now fiercely competing for the coveted P29 title!

Season 20 started well with the Pilgrims finally getting a decent start to their campaign. Plymouth and defending champions Welsh Warriors were competing at the top along with Huddersfield Terriers. But by the midway point of the season Plymouth and old rivals Huddersfield began to break away. Going into the run it was clear that either the Pilgrims or the Terriers would win the title.

Plymouth led for most of the season but were unable to shake off the Terriers who were never more than between 1 and 4 points behind. Huddersfield manager Mick Bartle pulled out all the stops loaning in 9*+ players in a bid to claim the P29 crown. But Sir Ishvar refused to be out done either on or off the pitch, and swooped to sign a peak aged def 9+, and kept up with Huddersfield's wheeling and dealing by securing a massive deal of their own to loan in two 9*+s.

In a nail biting finish Plymouth went into the last 2 games with only a narrow 2-point lead. Both Plymouth and Huddersfield won easily in match 45 and it was all down to match 46. A win for Huddersfield and a draw for Plymouth would have handed the title to Mick Bartle's Terriers on goal difference, but in the end both Plymouth and Huddersfield drew their final game. Plymouth's double over Huddersfield in division 1 ultimately proved decisive as the Pilgrims won the title by 2 points, and amazingly lost only once in the league all season! For 'Sir Ish' winning a 10th Premier 29 title was all-important and ranked as highly as Plymouth's famous Champions League win in 2002.

Winning the League Cup was another massive achievement for The Mighty Pilgrims who hadn't won this cup since 1995 when their original manager Chris Ashton was in charge. Beating rivals Huddersfield (at the 8th attempt in this cup over the years!) in the 2nd round was the key! The League Cup was wrapped up in the 1st leg of the final as Plymouth outclassed Welsh Warriors 3-0 making the 2nd leg (a 0-0 draw) little more than a formality.

The Pilgrims had to battle hard to reach The Ashton Cup Final beating 2005 runners up AFC Brighton and 2004 winners Stanion Lions (who led 1-0 after the quarter final 1st leg) before edging past FC Mossley Reserves in the semi final. In the final the Pilgrims needed a replay to beat a dogged Jason Bulldogs, but Plymouth's superb record in The Ashton Cup continued as they retained the cup after a 3-2 win. That completed a superb treble of P29 Division 1, The League Cup and The Ashton Cup for one of Apex's greatest clubs and managers!

Farewell & Goodbye

After the 10 glorious years of unrivaled success Pilgrims manager Sir Ishvar Sheran stepped down after leading Plymouth to their 10th P29 Division 1 title. Sir Ish was cheered by thousands of tearful Pilgrims fans who had gathered to say goodbye to the legendary boss. "I have had the most amazing time managing this fantastic club. I could not have achieved this success without the great squad of players we have and our superb backroom staff. Also special thanks to my better half Sara whose has been a huge support during recent seasons. Good luck to my successor Chris Jaggs."

A new era began in P29 season 21 as Chris "Buzz" Jaggs took over as Plymouth's 3rd manager. A title winner in P34 Chris has the background and experience to take on the biggest job in Apex Soccer and we wish him and The Mighty Pilgrims every success.

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This Page Last Updated 7 April 2007