Argyle Under-18s will look to maintain their perfect start to the EFL Youth Alliance League when they face Barnet this weekend.
The Young Pilgrims have won all six of their league fixtures so far, most recently securing a 3-0 victory away at Newport County on Tuesday.
Barnet will provide another demanding test, with Head Coach Jamie Lowry expecting a physical contest against a side who have made a positive start to their own campaign.
Lowry said: “It will be a tough game. They have done well so far and are a strong side who want to be competitive, and duel really well.
“Barnet also like to play forwards, so it is important that we are happy to defend, compete and do the ugly side of the game well to start with.”
Argyle come into the game having completed a busy period consisting of three away games in the space of eight days, with Tuesday’s victory over Newport County marking their second win from that spell.
While the results have remained positive, Lowry knows there are areas of their game that can still improve, particularly after such a demanding run of fixtures.
“It was a pleasing win over Newport,” he said. “I think the performance was probably below the standards that the lads have set themselves so far this season.
“But coming off the back of a difficult week with lots of travelling against some difficult teams, we will give the boys a little bit of leeway in terms of not being totally at it.
“I think we have definitely shown glimpses of what we can produce this season. But there is more to come and with many games coming up we can hopefully find our rhythm and have more consistent performances at better levels.”
The busy period is set to continue, with eight fixtures currently scheduled across October, including an under-21s trip to Bournemouth. Lowry believes the volume of matches can only benefit the players’ development.
“It’s a great thing [to have eight games in October], especially with the boys being in such good form in terms of results,” he said. “We seem to be grinding wins out at the minute, even when we would like our performances to be a bit better.
“The boys are here to train and develop, so it is great for them to be playing so much football.
“We keep reiterating to the lads about their recovery and what they do outside of football like their sleep pattern, rest and nutrition.”
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You can watch Lowry's full preview on Argyle TV here.