YOUTH: Argyle 2 Bristol Rovers 0

Two first-half goals from Scott Crocker were enough to give Argyle's youngsters their third victory in the EFL Youth Alliance.

It was the young Pilgrims who began the better of the two sides on a pristine surface at Harper’s Park, and Rovers can count themselves lucky to have only conceded twice.

At the other end, the central defensive trio of Brandon Pursall, Ethan Mitchell and Finley Craske were more than capable of repelling the few serious attacks that Rovers could muster.

The visitors were led a merry dance by the marauding runs of right wing-back Oscar Rutherford, while the pace of Crocker left them chasing shadows.

Argyle were playing into a fierce wind in the first half, but that proved to be in their favour as the ball was held up, allowing Crocker, Oscar Massey and Will Jenkins-Davies to get in behind the Rovers defence.

Crocker opened the scoring on 11 minutes when he was scythed down in the area by the visiting 'keeper, and he coolly sent the custodian the wrong way from the resultant penalty.

Massey and Crocker were combining well, and the latter fired wide from 12 yards before his clever reverse pass saw Massey twice denied by the 'keeper.

A second goal was on the cards, but it did not arrive until the 44th minute when, Jeremiah Medine's superb left wing cross found Crocker ghosting in at the far post to head back across the 'keeper and inside the opposite post.

The second half saw Rovers defending in depth but, to their credit, they always looked dangerous on the break. Unfortunately for the visitors, they found the Pilgrims’ defence in miserly mood.

Plymouth Argyle: Tyler Coombes, Oscar Rutherford, Brandon Pursall, Charlie Miller (Oscar Halls 40), Ethan Mitchell, Finley Craske (Carlo Garside 82), Angel Waruih, Jeremiah Medine, Will Jenkins-Davies, Oscar Massey (Rhys Shirley half-time), Scott Crocker (Jamal Salawu 82).