Plymouth Argyle facing decisive period - Cleverley

Tom Cleverley's side are 18th in League One but have taken 10 points from their past five matches

Plymouth Argyle are heading into a decisive part of their season, according to head coach Tom Cleverley.

The Pilgrims host AFC Wimbledon at Home Park on Saturday before a run of five consecutive away games.

The trips begin with a Devon derby at rivals Exeter City, then Mansfield, Wycombe in the FA Cup, a League One trip to Huddersfield Town and, finally, an EFL Trophy game at Bristol Rovers.

"I've made quite a strong point to the players that the next block of games, what do we want to be as a football team?" Cleverley told BBC Radio Devon.

"It's an important period of time. I think the winter months find a lot of teams out and we want to be on the right side of that.

"So starting with Wimbledon, it's a home game we really have to cherish because we're not here for a long time.

"We have to play at our maximum intensity and see our fans on the road for a few weeks, but we want to leave them with a real good taste after Saturday.

"It's an important period of time for us as a football club and where we want to go with this season."

Having struggled away from home while in the Championship, Plymouth's form on the road in League One this season has improved in recent weeks.

They have won their past two games away from Home Park, after losing their first three League One matches outside Devon.

They return to action on Saturday after a week off due to international call-ups.

"I think it helps that our away form has taken a turn for the better in recent weeks," Cleverley said.

"I don't think we look at it and think 'oh that's going to be a more challenging set of fixtures'. They're all challenging, so I don't think we look at it and think 'oh god that's real tough'.

"Logistically and travel-wise, we have to be smart and we have to do the right thing and the best thing for the players so they're ready to perform.

"It's very unusual, and also the Bradford game [at home in November] could also be in doubt with international call-ups, so it might be six games.

"We'll prepare the best we can to win each one and we're not going to be making any excuses about it."