Argyle, the Green Army and pasties: Tatsuki Usui loving Plymouth trip

Tatsuki Usui, the Plymouth Argyle fan from Japan who has been embraced as part of the Green Army, is predicting Championship survival for the Greens.

The 24-year-old will be watching from the Lower Mayflower Grandstand at a sold-out Home Park when relegation-threatened Argyle take on play-off hopefuls Hull City in a season-ending clash on Saturday lunchtime. Tatsuki is on his second visit to Plymouth, with the previous one coming at the end of last season's League One title-winning campaign, while his current trip began in late March.

He admitted to feeling 'very nervous' about the game against Hull, which if Argyle win will secure their place in the Championship for next season. A draw or a defeat, though, could see the Pilgrims drop down to League One again, depending on how Birmingham City, one position and a point below them in the table, get on in their home match against Norwich City.

Read More: Argyle Q+A Recap: It all comes down to the Greens' final fixture

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"It's going to be a very tough game, but Home Park is a great stadium with a great atmosphere," said Tatsuki, who comes from the town of Iwate, which is near the north-east coast of Honshu, Japan's main island. There can often be heavy snowfall in his hometown, but during this latest trip to Plymouth he has had to get used to persistent rain.

That has not dampened his enthusiasm for Argyle, however, as he has followed their fortunes at home and away during a tense conclusion to their first season back in the Championship since 2009/10. Asked for his prediction for the game against Hull, Tatsuki said: "I think Argyle 2, Hull City 1 or zero."

Tatsuki, who travelled to south London for the Pilgrims' 1-0 defeat by Millwall at the weekend, has been overwhelmed by the way the Argyle supporters have taken to him. He said: "The fans were very sad after the game on Saturday but they have been very good to me, I love the Green Army."

Iwate is a small town so when Tatsuki was growing up there were no professional sports teams for him to follow, and he did not like watching baseball on TV, which is very popular in Japan.

However, when a new neighbour who later became his best friend moved in, he was invited to watch football on TV with him, and that game was Argyle's FA Cup third round tie against Everton at Home Park in January 2005. Although Bobby Williamson's Pilgrims were beaten 3-1, Tatsuki thought the Green Army were 'awesome' and it is a match he will never forget.

Tragically, his best friend lost his life when he was caught up in the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, but it was because of him that Tatsuki 'fell in love' with Argyle.

Dan Scarr is his current favourite Pilgrims' player. "I played football in the same position as Dan Scarr," he explained. "He's a great defender." Tatsuki's other favourite players over his time as an Argyle fan have been Hungarian duo Akos Buzsaky and Peter Halmosi, plus another commanding defender, Graham Coughlan.

Tatsuki has enjoyed being around the 'kind people' of Plymouth and has developed an appetite for a local delicacy. He has eaten 60 pasties by his own count since starting his latest trip to the city - and has posted several pictures of them on social media.

Although Argyle's game against Hull is their final Championship match of the season, it will not be Tatsuki's last game of football during his trip to the city. He will also watch Argyle Women take on MK Dons at The Mill, the home of Torpoint Athletic, on Sunday afternoon.

He will be returning to Japan in a couple of weeks but is already thinking about making another visit to watch his beloved Argyle again next season.

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