Plymouth Argyle assistant manager Keith Downing has left the League One club, it has been confirmed.

Downing joined Argyle back in December, shortly after Steven Schumacher had taken over as the Pilgrims' first-team manager following the departure of Ryan Lowe to Preston.

The 56-year-old remained as part of Schumacher's backroom staff for the remainder of the season, as Plymouth finished seventh in the League One table, missing out on a play-off place due to their final day defeat to MK Dons.

Now though, Downing, who has previously worked with the likes of Cheltenham, Port Vale and West Brom, as well as England at youth level, is set to head for pastures new.

It has been announced that Downing is set to leave Plymouth, with the season have now come to an end for the Pilgrims.

Explaining his decision to depart Home Park, Downing admitted that working with Plymouth has made things difficult from a geographical perspective for his family, which has influenced his decision to leave the club.

The Verdict

This does feel as though it will be something of a blow for Plymouth.

Schumacher is still in the early stages of his management career, so having someone with the experience of Downing alongside him will certainly have been useful.

Losing that presence will therefore be something of a blow for the Pilgrims and Schumacher, especially after the disappointment of how their season ended on the pitch.

It will therefore be interesting to see how Plymouth respond to this, in terms of who they are able to bring to Home Park as Downing's replacement.