Argyle Under-18s travel to Bristol Rovers on Saturday morning for a second meeting between the two sides in the space of five days, this time in the Youth Alliance League.
The teams played out an entertaining 3-3 draw in Tuesday’s YAL Cup fixture, with the Young Pilgrims taking the lead on three separate occasions before being pegged back each time.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry opted to include eight players from Argyle’s Under-16s in Tuesday’s squad alongside six first-year scholars, resting the second years amidst a busy run of games.
The Greens will be looking to carry their attacking threat into this weekend while showing greater defensive resilience.
Lowry was pleased with the contribution of his younger players midweek, but knows his side must manage games more effectively to earn three points.
He said: “It was a really positive performance on Tuesday. I thought the under-16s who played gave a really good account of themselves and the first years led by example and set the standards which was really pleasing.
“Having gone ahead three times, it was disappointing to let them peg us back all three of those times. But going forward, that’s important. If we take the lead this weekend then it will be about how we manage the game, making sure our structure is right and that we remain focused.”
The quick turnaround gives Argyle an opportunity to put those lessons into practice, with Lowry expecting a similar contest despite changes in personnel for both sides.
“Style-wise, Tuesday’s game gave away a lot about both teams, and I don’t think there will be much change [in the way we play] for either of us,” he said. “It’s about how we take away what we’ve done really well on Tuesday and how we keep implementing that.
”But then we have to try to change what we didn’t do so well, like conceding goals and letting them have the ball as much as they did.”
After failing to hold on to leads in their previous two games, the Young Pilgrims have spent the week preparing for the different challenges that can arise during a game, with Lowry keen for his players to remain calm when things don’t go their way.
He said: “We’ve done quite a lot of work over the last few days on what we do when we have a setback. If it’s a bad five or 10 minutes where they’re on top, how do we manage it? Whether it’s a free kick, a goal conceded, or just small moments in games it’s really important that they’re still learning and that we learn to manage games better.”
Across their opening nine league games Argyle have scored 35 times – 10 more than their nearest competitors. While Lowry is pleased with his side’s attacking ability, he wants to improve on their defensive record, having conceded 14 goals so far.
He said: “We’re very good at going forward and attacking but I think that, as a group and not just the back line, we can be a little tighter defensively.”
Argyle will look to put those lessons into practice when the return to league action against Rovers on Saturday, with kick off at 11:30 am.
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Watch Lowry's full interview with Argyle TV here.