Oxford Tie For Young Pilgrims

ARGYLE'S youngsters have been rewarded for their victory against Exeter in the first round of the FA Youth Cup with a trip to Oxford United.

The match will take place at Thame United’s new AMC Stadium on Wednesday, November 14, kick-off 7.30pm. Admission will be £5 for adults and £3 for over 65s and under 16s.

The Pilgrims comfortably beat their local rivals 3-0 last week and will now face the U’s after they triumphed 4-2 against Yeovil on Wednesday night.

Academy manager Kevin Hodges was delighted with the win against City especially after the team had struggled at the same stage of the competition in recent seasons.

He said: “We were pleased to get through the first round against our local rivals Exeter. It’s nice to progress as it’s something we haven’t done in the last couple of years.”

Despite a number of injury problems, Argyle produced a convincing home display to beat Oxford 3-0 in August but can expect a different contest this time around as their opponents are currently enjoying an eight-match winning run in all competitions.

Even with this turnaround in fortunes Kevin believes that it won’t have much bearing on the game, especially in a contest involving young players.

“Every game’s different when you’re working with the youth team.

"The players are still developing and some progress quicker than others.

“However, we’ve been quite consistent of late and I’m hoping the players will continue to adapt.”

Argyle have put in some impressive performances on the road this term and Kevin is confident that his side have the ability to advance to the next round.

He added: “We’re playing away from home which is a challenge in itself but we’re looking forward to the game and we want to progress.”

Should the Pilgrims' beat Oxford, they will face a home tie with Barnsley in the third round.