Argyle Under-18s return to Youth Alliance League action on Thursday morning as they make the short trip to face Exeter City in a Devon derby.
The Young Pilgrims will be looking to build on Saturday’s impressive win against Swindon Town, that secured progression to the PDL Cup quarter-finals for the first time, and carry that confidence into the local clash, with kick-off at 11am.
The sides have already met this season, with Exeter claiming a 2-1 win in the YAL Cup in August. Joe Newport gave the Grecians a first-half lead, before Seb Campbell levelled from the penalty spot, but Louie Cayless scored a spot kick of his own to make it 2-1.
Argyle will now have the opportunity to put that result behind them when they make the trip across Devon, with Lowry keen to see his side raise their level from the first meeting.
He said: “We definitely want a good performance against them. They came to us in the cup and beat is which was really disappointing. Our performance that day was well below our standards, so it’s something that we want to put right this time round.
”We also want to continue building our momentum. I was really pleased with our win on Saturday, so taking that confidence forwards is really important. Exeter are a really competitive side; their coach has done a really good job and made them stronger than they have been previously.”
As is often the case with the Devon derby at any age group, the fixture carries added significance for a Pilgrims squad containing several players from Plymouth and the surrounding area.
Lowry has seen first-hand what the occasion means to his group and believes the experience of previous meetings between the sides will only add to Thursday’s contest.
“Our players think about it being a Devon derby a lot,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of Plymouth boys and local lads who have played this game throughout the age groups, so it means a lot to them.
”Representing Argyle is something that’s really important to me as a staff member and also the lads – especially when we play our local rivals.
“It’s important that we perform and be super competitive, but we also have to bring the quality on the day that we lacked against them last time out.”
After impressing in academy football, several Young Pilgrims have experienced senior football in recent weeks.
Seb Campbell, Jared Rendle, Frankie Maund and Joe Mwaro all started for the first team against Swindon Town on Tuesday night in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy. For Lowry, seeing his players make that step is a key part of his role, while their involvement with the senior side also creates opportunities for others in the squad.
He said: “Having lads unavailable for us because they’re playing for the first team is all part of the job. We are here to be that stepping stone into the senior side, so that’s our priority really.
”It’s no issue at all when we have players going to feature for them, because that’s what we want. It also gives a chance for some of the other lads – Under-16s and the first-year scholars – who don’t start every game for us, to come and play some games and have their development time.”
With Mwaro, Rendle, Maund and Campbell unlikely to feature on Thursday due to their previous first-team involvement, Lowry will be hoping his squad can overcome Exeter and make their mark in the Devon derby.