Argyle Under-18s will be looking to make it five wins from five in the EFL Youth Alliance League and move to the top of the table when they face Cambridge United at midday on Saturday.
Jamie Lowry’s side have made a perfect start to their league campaign with wins over Watford, Stevenage, Portsmouth and Bromley, and will now have the opportunity to maintain that against 10th-placed Cambridge.
The trip to Cambridgeshire will also provide a different experience for the Young Pilgrims, with Friday’s journey marking their first overnight trip of the campaign.
Lowry hopes this will help prepare his players for some of the demands they could face in men’s football, from managing a long journey to recovering properly and preparing for a match away from home.
“It is going to be a good experience for the lads,” he said. “It will be all about the experience and all about dealing with the travel time.
“Then it is about getting into the hotel, getting prepared, eating properly and getting the right amount of sleep in different circumstances to what they are used to.
“It is all experience that we want to try to provide the boys with as much as possible. It is about being relatable to the first team as much as possible.”
Standing in Argyle’s way are a Cambridge side that Lowry expects to provide a tough test, with the U’s having finished second in the league last season.
He said: “They are a strong side. Last season they were very strong and finished right up there in the league. They also came down here and beat us.
“Cambridge are always a great academy. They have good footballing players who are physically strong and dominant as well, so it should be a really good challenge for us.
“It is important that we respond from Tuesday’s cup defeat to Portsmouth and make sure that we get the basics right to give us the best chance going into the game.”
Against Portsmouth, Argyle were missing Jared Rendle, Seb Campbell and Thomas Armytage who all featured in the first-team squad in Tuesday’s Jersey Mike’s Trophy match against Crystal Palace Under-21s.
The trio could make a return to action on Saturday and will be looking to carry the confidence gained from their first-team experience into the trip to Cambridge.
With this being the only fixture in the league this weekend, and top spot on offer, the Young Pilgrims will be hoping to continue their perfect league start and return from Cambridgeshire with another three points.