Whilst Plymouth Argyle have enjoyed runs to the semi finals of the League Cup (1964-1965 & 1974-75) and the FA Cup (1983-84), they have never reached the last four of the EFL Trophy - until now that is.
After seeing off Bristol Rovers 2-0 in the quarter finals, thanks to goals from January signing Ben Waine and Ryan Hardie, the Pilgrims are currently enjoying their longest ever run in the competition.
The Pilgrims' county neighbours Exeter City and Torquay United have both experienced lengthy runs in the trophy. The Grecians reached the Southern Area final three times in 1992-93, 1999-00 and 2010-11 in the days when the competition was played on a regional basis all the way through to the final. The Gulls are currently the only South West side ever to have made it to the final when they famously did so in 1989 where they met Bolton Wanderers.
With Argyle currently top of League One, they also have the potential to emulate Birmingham City and Bristol City, who both went up from the third tier as champions whilst also lifting the EFL Trophy in 1994-95 and 2014-15 respectively.
For some fans the competition has lost some of its shine and prestige with the introduction of Premier League Under-21 sides, which has resulted in some three figure gates for some matches in the earlier rounds. However, should the Pilgrims reach the final, the 'Green Army' will no doubt travel to Wembley in large numbers - which would help to emphasis the reasons why the competition was originally invented.
