PLYMOUTH have outlined their ambitions to become a Championship club within the next five years.

Ryan Lowe’s side head for Valley Parade just a point outside the automatic promotion places in fourth spot.

They have lost only once since New Year’s Day with a run of 24 points out of a possible 33.

An instant return to League One is very much on the cards but Argyle owner Simon Hallett is looking beyond that – and he outlined his second-tier vision to fans this week.

Hallett said: “We have decided that we needed something more concrete – an interim goal that would communicate to our fans what our ambitions are.

“We have said, and I am now saying in public, that we want to be a sustainable Championship club within five years.

“The key word here is 'sustainable'. I think that we have been transparent that the club is not currently financially sustainable, without my support and my family’s support.

“That is something that I think is risky, and a good steward of this club will make sure that if my support would diminish, the club will be able to continue.”

Hallett has studied the finances of teams in the Championship and believes the Pilgrims could survive.

“We know that the headline figures in the Championship are dreadful,” he added. “On average, the clubs are losing £500,000 a week – but the range was much greater than we thought.

“If you ranked them by their financial resources, Argyle, even today, would have resources similar to that of a couple of Championship clubs, even in League Two.

“If we assume that as we move up the leagues, our revenues increase, and we assume that we get better at generating revenues, our resources put us somewhere around 15th, 16th, or 17th.

"That gives you a very good chance of staying in the Championship.”