Academy Preview | Wimbledon (A)

Argyle’s Under-18 side conclude their season with an away trip to Wimbledon, at 2pm on Friday, 5 May.

It has been a mixed Merit League 1 campaign, with Argyle winning two, losing two and drawing five of their nine fixtures so far. It is, though, an exceptionally close division, with only eight points separating the top nine teams.

Add in a very strong Youth Alliance campaign, finishing second to Bournemouth, and the development of several bright prospects in playing senior football, and the season will certainly be considered a positive one for Darren Way and his young charges, on and off the field.

Darren said: “I’ve been pleased with our performances on a consistent basis in the Youth Alliance. Bournemouth have accelerated at a fast rate – they are a sustainable Premier League club now – and there is an impact from that to the Academy.  

“We’ve had to manage on a smaller squad, therefore players play a lot of games, but that has been good for their development.

“We’ve shared a lot of emotions – wins, draws, losses, a lot of travelling – we just want to see another team performance. These players have been together for almost two years, sharing this experience. Seeing a performance where we all work hard for each other and that will be the most important thing for us going into this game tomorrow.

“In a really competitive season at first-team level, we have still managed to get players games in the Papa Johns Trophy. None of the players let the gaffer down. They share the arena with first-team players, and are on the training ground with them. Getting their feedback, they have been impressed with the way our players have managed themselves and put in performances that the game demands. It’s nice to hear players I have known for a long time having really good things to say about our players.

“We’ve also had real success in education, which we are big on. We’ve had nearly full distinctions this year in their set work and BTEC work. Our players, if they decide not to go down the football route, are well-educated.

“It is an all-round programme that we are running, that we full proud of, and not just the football side. That’s important to us. Everyone is doing a great job.

“We have player welfare, safeguarding; we are putting everything into place to make sure we create a well-rounded person.”

A 12-minute interview with Darren, in which he discusses the season, is available now on Argyle TV.