Argyle boss 'excited' as Baidoo marks return with goal

Baidoo scored his first goal for Plymouth Argyle nearly two years after his £1m move to Home Park [Shutterstock] Plymouth Argyle boss Tom Cleverley says he was impressed by Michael Baidoo's return to action. The Ghana forward, 27, had been out since injuring his hamstring in the final game of pre-season in early August. He came on as a substitute in the 4-0 FA Cup first-round win over non-league Alvechurch , scoring the Pilgrims' third goal - his first for the club. Baidoo was Argyle's record signing when he joined for more than £1m in January 2025 from Swedish side Elfsborg. But he struggled to adapt to life in the Championship and spent last season on loan at Qatari side Umm Salal. "Michael's versatile in terms of where I can play him," Cleverley said. "He's intelligent, he finds the space well, which is something we don't really have as a team. "Then within those small pockets of space, he's really safe with a ball, he can get on the half turn, he can make things happen, he's got explosive speed. "He's a player I'm excited about without putting too much pressure on him, scored another goal to add to his almost a goal a game in pre-season, so a positive day, and the main thing is he's played for his first minutes for a long time and he's come through safe and sound." Plymouth Argyle 4-0 Alvechurch Baidoo to return as Plymouth take no FA Cup chances Cleverley said he was happy his side did not panic despite going in at half-time level at 0-0 with their seventh-tier opponents who play in Southern League Premier Division Central. Will Evans broke the deadlock early in the second half and went on to score a sepond before goals from Baidoo and Ronan Curtis secured the win. "I hope they enjoyed their cup run, they were very well supported," added Cleverley. "I saw one of their directors this morning at breakfast and they were very excited by the day and that's what the FA Cup's about. "We are the so-called giants there to be killed today and if we get through to the third round then the shoe could be on the other foot and we're going somewhere to try to kill a giant "It's the beauty of the cup. We had to be ruthless today, we had to be professional and I thought we were." All the latest Plymouth Argyle news