Improved composure helping Pepple score goals

Plymouth Argyle striker Bim Pepple says a change in his mental focus and working with a sports psychologist has contributed to his fine goalscoring form.

The 23-year-old has scored in each of his past four appearances for the in-form Pilgrims.

He has scored 20 goals since the start of 2026, having found the net just three times in the first half of last season.

"If you were to watch training, everyone can finish, but the difference is when you get in front of a bunch of people, you're about to score, it's about keeping your composure to pass it in the net," he said.

"That's probably one thing I really struggled with beginning of last season, and just throughout my career.

"So a lot of it's mental work that I work on, stay calm, score the goal first and then celebrate.

"It's a bit hard for me because I love the feeling of scoring, I love celebrating, so sometimes you get ahead of yourself."

Pepple's goals this month have helped Plymouth to four straight wins.

"I've scored a couple of good goals, but I want to get back to my tap-ins, my bread and butter and that's what I'm really working on - my movement to try and get my tap-ins because that's what you want to make a living off," he added.

"So you do a lot of work on the technique and that, but a lot of it is mental."

Pepple said visualising scoring goals in the lead up to games had helped him gain more composure in front of goal.

He works with a sports psychologist - a move that has helped him become one of the third tier's most in-form forwards.

"The day before we'll just go through guided visualisation on scenarios I might see, so a ball across the box or going through one-on-one," he said.

"It's just like just practising to almost be in that scenario so that when you are in that position on the pitch it feels like you've been there before.

"You'd be surprised at how many goals that you visualise and come exactly the same way, so it's a huge part of preparation and I think a lot of top strikers do it.

"You might go five games, four games without scoring, but it's just about - keep visualising, keep visualising and it will come."

Pepple's good form saw him linked with a transfer away from Argyle last summer.

He also received a call-up for Canada's final squad before the World Cup, although he has not managed to force his way back into Jesse Marsch's plans since and still awaits his first senior cap.

"I just want to play as high as possible and obviously for me, the national team is a big one," Pepple added.

"I've got a taste of it, I want to get back there and I want to not just get called in, I want to play games and I want to score goals at that level.

"At club level as well I want to play as high as possible and I just want to feel like at the end of the day, when my career is done, that I maximised my potential and I gave 100% .

"So wherever that would take me, I don't know. Football's a weird game, it's already taken me to all parts of the country already and I'm enjoying it."