In The Flow

WHEN Argyle’s Capital One Cup first-round tie against Leyton Orient went to penalties on Tuesday...

...there can have been few people at Home Park that expected River Allen to step up and take the Pilgrims’ first spot-kick.

However, the 18-year-old, who had earlier come off the substitutes’ bench for his professional debut with 13 minutes of a thrilling cup tie left to play, showed no nerves as he sent his kick past Orient goalkeeper Gary Woods.

Fellow teenager, fellow midfielder and fellow substitute Tyler Harvey also notched in the shoot-out, which followed an exciting 3-3 draw, but Woods had the last laugh as he saved from Jason Banton and Carl McHugh to put the Pilgrims out of the competition.

Argyle manager John Sheridan said: “It does not matter if you are 19, 18 or whatever age –you are a professional footballer and they should be confident enough to take a penalty, no matter what age they are. I am pleased for them.

“I was pleased with all the subs that came on. They gave us a spark and a little bit of sharpness. They get information off of me because they are midfielders, and I thought they both looked sharp and made a real impact on the game.

“It’s the same with Marvin [Morgan]. That’s what I want from my subs. I want everyone to think they can play in the team, and I want them to give me a headache. They came on, gave us a lift, and they really pushed us on to finish strong.”