All About The Team

YOUNG, gifted and back was where it was at for the Pilgrims on Saturday.

Luke Young, their talented teenage midfielder, returned from injury to help propel Argyle to a thoroughly deserved first win for nine matches as York were roundly defeated 2-0.

The first goal – an oggie by Jamal Fyfield – followed Luke’s 44th-minute corner, while Nick Chadwick’s game-clinching 90th-minute second came after Young’s fierce shot was beaten out by goalkeeper Michael Ingham.

However, young Youngy was more than happy to share the plaudits with his team-mates.

“It was a very good performance all round,” he said. “Everybody won their individual battles and we got the three points.

“When you have been in the team and have been out through injury, you are just raring to get back in the team and, when you do, you have got to try to make the most of it.

“It’s nice to be back in the team after injury, but it was all about the team today.

“Everyone worked hard for each other; everyone put in a good shift; and we’ve kept a good passing team at bay – we put them under pressure when we needed to, pressed them high up the pitch, and they couldn’t live with us.

“I don’t think Reg [goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin] had much to do. That shows we worked hard off the ball.

“If you put them under pressure high up the pitch, it gives the defenders and the ’keeper a lot more freedom and doesn’t cause them any problems.”

Argyle’s opener at the end of the first half was contributed by York, but forced by the Pilgrims’ tactics.

Luke said: “Over the past few weeks, we’ve talked about deliveries into the box being important and, against a team with not as much height as us, anything can happen.

“Luckily, [the ball] got a deflection and went in, and that’s the kind of luck that maybe we’ve been waiting for. Normally, it doesn’t fall for us like that.

“It was a great time to score, on the stroke of half-time, as well. I think we deserved it.”

It took almost another 45 minutes to finally lay the game to bed, but Luke said that the Pilgrims were comfortable with their single-goal margin.

“At 1-0, you are always on a knife-edge but, even at 1-0, I don’t think we were under pressure that much – [York] didn’t really cause us any problems, didn’t really get the ball in behind.

“We kept the play in front of us; defended when we needed to; cleared [the ball] when we needed to; and got on the ball when we needed to.

“So it was just a case of keep persisting and, when you get the second goal, you can breathe a little bit more and try to see the game out.”

The second goal came when Chaddy nodded home the rebound of Luke’s saved shot after Youngy had benefited – not for the first time during the afternoon – from one of on-loan midfielder Mark Molesley’s penetrating runs.

 “He likes to drive forward and it opens up more space for other players to make their runs,” said Luke.

“It’s always nice to have variety in midfield, and he has done well.”