THE first eagerly-awaited Devon league derby of the season takes place tomorrow with the Pilgrims travelling to Plainmoor to take on Torquay United.

The Greens will have to be on their mettle because Torquay are coming off the back of four straight wins, scoring 12 goals in the process and conceding only one.

Add to that Argyle's handful of suspensions following last Saturday's FA Cup thriller against Stourbridge FC, and it looks a tough ask for the men in green.

But Carl Fletcher's men will take heart and passion into the derby game tomorrow after showing great fighting spirit against their plucky opponents, twice levelling the game to earn a replay at the West Midlands side on Tuesday evening.

And they received a further fillip on Wednesday when they confirmed the loan signing of Blackpool striker Craig Sutherland, subject to Football League approval.

The 22-year-old Scotman will bolster Argyle's attacking options and goes straight into the squad for tomorrow's game at Torquay.

Sutherland has appeared eight times for Blackpool this season after signing from Northern Carolina State University.

The striker will stay in Devon until January 28 and joins fellow Tangerines' loanee Paul Bignot. Sutherland will wear the number 10 shirt.

Last Saturday's game at Home Park turned out to be a rip-roaring affair, with all the ingredients of a cup tie thrown into the mix. There was a penalty, two red cards, wonder strikes, goal-line clearances – and the occasional dodgy goalkeeping display thrown in for good measure.

Stourbridge, the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division part-timers are three leagues below Argyle and were clear underdogs.

Despite this, the 800-plus fans they brought down for the day sang their hearts out to give their side plenty of encouragement and support.

The Greens were quick out of the blocks and took the lead when Warren Feeney powered in a header on four minutes from Paul Bignot's cross from the right.

Argyle then dominated the opening half-hour with some slick passing over a fast, greasy surface.

With the Pilgrims unable to add to their lead, Stourbridge scored against the run of play on 37 minutes when Leon Broadhurst's header back across goal was nodded in by Aaron Drake.

The part-timers were encouraged by the goal and hit the side netting shortly after through Broadhurst at the back post.

The tie was evenly poised at half-time, but Argyle fell behind on 53 minutes when lively forward Ryan Rowe lobbed Romain Larrieu to score and send the travelling support wild.

Argyle had to knuckle down and began to exert pressure going forward.

A goal-line scramble nearly got the Pilgrims level and ex-Ivybridge Community College pupil Matt Lecointe came close soon after, just missing the target after Stourbridge 'keeper Lewis Solly had parried an initial shot.

Will Atkinson then saw his strikefrom the edge of the box rebound off a post and it was beginning to feel like one of those days when the ball just would not go in the net for the hosts.

With 20 minutes to go, the game had become an onslaught on the Stourbridge goal and, just as all hope appeared lost for the Greens, Carl Fletcher unleashed a fierce drive while surging towards the edge of the penalty area.The ball took a wicked deflection off a Stourbridge defender and looped into the top corner to bring Argyle level.

Home Park erupted into a cacophony of noise and celebration.

The home side continued to press and looked like the only team who would find the winner.

But, when a looping cross came into the Argyle box, it was not dealt with and Robbie Williams bundled the ball over the elusive Rowe to give Stoubridge a penalty 10 minutes from time.

Williams was given his marching orders for the foul and Sean Geddes rifled home the spot kick.

It was do or die for Argyle, as they were staring down the gun of a huge cup upset.

The Stourbridge penalty area once again became the focus of attention with a siege of green jerseys piling forward searching for a late equaliser.

To the sheer joy of the Green Army, the crucial leveller was provided by Onismor Bhasera, who received the ball on the left-hand side and tore through the away defence before slotting the ball between Solly's leg into the far corner of the net.

There was still time for Conor Hourihane to be sent from the pitch when he received his second bookable offence to leave the Pilgims with nine men on the pitch.

The game ended 3-3 and the two sides will do it all over again on Tuesday evening at the War Memorial Ground in Stourbridge in front of the live cameras of ESPN.

For tomorrow's derby game, Argyle will be without Williams and Hourihane due to their dismissals last week, as well as manager Carl Fletcher who picked up his fifth yellow card of the season which handed him a one-match suspension.

Argyle also look set to be without Luke Daley and Ladjie Soukouna, who are both recovering from injuries.

The club has announced that their Npower League 2 game away at Aldershot on New Year's Eve will now kick-off at 1pm, rather than the previously scheduled time of 3pm.

In other news at Home Park, new owner James Brent's company that took the club out of administration has formally changed its name.

The company previously known as 'Green Pilgrim Ltd' has been renamed 'Plymouth Argyle Football Club Ltd' to reflect the new ownership of the club.