Academy Preview | Exeter City (A)
Argyle’s Under-18s take on Exeter City on Friday afternoon, looking to do a Devon Derby double in the Youth Alliance League.
Earlier in the season, Argyle won 5-0 when the sides met in October, and come into this game in second place, looking for a precious win as they look to keep up the pressure on leaders Bournemouth.
Both Exeter and Argyle’s last games came against Portsmouth, and both drew; Argyle coming away from Hampshire with a 1-1 draw, Exeter’s game with Pompey ending 0-0.
“We’re all looking forward to it,” said Argyle Under-18 manager Darren Way. “A derby brings that little bit of cutting edge, that little bit of excitement, certainly for the Plymouth lads. We’ve played in a few of these games now, to know how those type of games work.
“We have worked on making sure we do our best to compete and also play our style of football.
“I’m expecting a competitive game. The players have been excellent in training, we’re on a good run, and it has been a good start to the campaign for us.”
The Exeter game is the final match for the Under-18s for a month, as they take a short break over the Christmas period. That said, there is a chance that several could be involved when Argyle’s first team take on AFC Wimbledon in the Papa Johns Trophy on Wednesday.
Way explained the philosophy behind the change in schedule, and stressed that the onus is on the players to ensure they keep their fitness ticking over.
“We’ve got one more game to go before the lads break up for the Christmas period,” Darren said. “We have to get them to understand the importance of what a break looks like for a professional athlete. Christmastime, I’ve seen over a number of years, where players at youth level can go home and perhaps not train as hard, and let themselves go a bit. That takes a while for them to recover when they get back in.
“This will be a bit different, as we have the Papa Johns Trophy, and a few players have been involved. They need to make sure they have their eyes wide open as preparation going into that game is really important.
“There’s a few players who live away from home, and the under-18s is a relentless programme. You want them to make sure they get the balance right.
“It’s still important they do something, and that will be down to them to take responsibility. We’ll make sure we record the data, but the lads have been really professional. They are an honest group, and I expect them to come back in good shape.”
