Plymouth Argyle look set to miss out on transfer target Ben Barclay after he appeared for Accrington Stanley in their pre-season friendly against Sligo Rovers this weekend, as reported by Plymouth Live.

It's believed Barclay, who left Brighton this summer, was due to join up with Ryan Lowe's side in pre-season but instead opted for a League One trial. It's now emerged that trial was with John Coleman's Accrington Stanley and that a deal is close to completion.

Barclay came through the youth ranks with Manchester City before a move to the south coast but struggled to make a serious impact with the Seagulls, appearing once. He spent time on loan with relegated Notts County last season, playing 13 times and scoring once.

He missed their final matches of the season after being sent off for violent conduct against Crawley and was released by Brighton in the summer.

Plymouth were relegated on the final day of last season, but have pulled off something of a coup in attracting both Ryan Lowe and Danny Mayor from promoted Bury, as well as acquiring Will Aimson from the Shakers.

The Verdict

It's not surprising that a young player wants to test himself as high as possible, especially not after experiencing relegation last season. Had he joined the Magpies in the summer he would have been moving to a promotion favourite, but their season ended up in relegation.

That's the fine line between success and failure and the best way to avoid such events is to play as high as possible. Plymouth will likely be amongst the front-runners in League Two, but they can't offer trips to Portman Road or the Stadium of Light; Stanley can.

At Accrington, Barclay will become part of a team far greater than the sum of its parts, a side that shows a unique togetherness despite being some way adrift in terms of support and budgets.