FA Cup: Plymouth Argyle boss Ryan Lowe says his side will miss their fans at Sheffield United

Plymouth Argyle's 'Green Army' of fans at Liverpool in 2017 when the club last drew a Premier League team in the FA Cup

Plymouth Argyle manager Ryan Lowe says his team's FA Cup fourth round tie away at Premier League side Sheffield United will not be the same without the club's vast travelling fanbase.

The Green Army travel up and down the country, putting in more miles than almost any other set of fans from their base on the Devon border with Cornwall.

The last time Argyle drew a top-flight side in the FA Cup an 8,000 strong battalion of the Green Army invaded Anfield and helped their side come away with a 0-0 draw against Liverpool, while in 2009, 9,000 packed into the Emirates - the biggest-ever away following at Arsenal's new ground at the time - as they lost 2-1 to Arsenal.

"I'd have felt it would have given us more of a chance with 5,000 Green Army fans in the stadium," Lowe said ahead of his side's trip to an empty Bramall Lane.

It is an away support that helped persuade Lowe to move to the club in 2019 after guiding Bury to promotion from League Two the previous season - and he recalls his first encounter with the Argyle faithful behind him.

"The first game we had was Crewe away for our first league game and it was packed," he said.

"Although we scored three goals they won us the game because of the way they were and how loud they were, it was fantastic.

"To see that enthusiasm and that excitement of those fans was phenomenal."

Argyle were allowed 2,000 fans in to watch a handful of games at the end of last year as Covid-19 restrictions were temporarily eased, but for many of them they have still not had a chance to congratulate their charges on their promotion to League One last season in Lowe's first campaign at the helm.

"I haven't really seen the real side of it," added Lowe, who has spent longer as manager of the club with no fans attending games than with supporters being allowed in.

"I've missed the Barbican being green and white on promotion, I missed the pitch being invaded by fans, I missed the promotion party with them, I missed the town hall with them, we've missed everything.

"That drives me on to bring more success to Argyle whether that's in the near future or the late future, whenever that is, that's our aim - to please these fans because they've missed so much."

Can Argyle cause an upset?

Plymouth go into the tie having won 2-1 at Sunderland on Tuesday after a round-trip of 820 miles - the longest away journey in the English Football League

It is the first time since 2008 that the Pilgrims have made it to the fourth round of the FA Cup, having reached the quarter-finals the previous season. Both of those runs came when the club was in the Championship.

On paper, Sheffield United should be too strong, with the riches and squad depth of a Premier League team against a League One club.

But the Blades are bottom of the top flight and could well rotate their side to rest players as they push to try to stay in the division.

So can Argyle, who have already beaten Championship side Huddersfield Town to get to this stage, cause another upset?

"The lads have got to be switched on for all 95, 96 minutes or extra time, whatever it gets to because you are coming up against a better class of opposition," Lowe told BBC Radio Devon.

"Our lads understand that, but I want them to go out with a freedom, I want them to play our football like we've been doing.

"We've beaten a Championship team along the way, and is it a big ask to beat a Premier League team?

"It's an ask, it's not a massive one depending on what team they put out, but we're going to go there, give a good account of ourselves and put a good game plan together where we feel we can hopefully, at our best, potentially cause an upset.

"We'll go about our business the right way, we'll make sure we're solid and resolute, which you've got to be. But when we've got the ball we want to be expansive and play football."