Argyle Under-18s begin their FA Youth Cup campaign on Tuesday night as they welcome Mangotsfield United to Home Park.
The Young Pilgrims will be looking to build on their impressive start to the season as they turn their attention to knockout football, with a place in the second round against St Ives Town up for grabs.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry believes the competition offers a unique opportunity for his players to create lasting memories.
He said: “The FA Youth Cup is the pinnacle of Under-18s football. Some of the lads who will be involved on Tuesday have experienced good times in the competition before, as have I as a coach. Hopefully that can help spur on some of the younger lads and give the older ones the drive to be part of a good run again.
”As former players and staff we always talk about our FA Youth Cup runs, so it’s something that will stay with the lads no matter what their journey afterwards will be, because the competition is always special.”
Lowry is familiar with Tuesday night’s opponents, having faced Mangotsfield on two previous occasions in the Youth Cup, including a 3-0 win in last season’s first round.
He said: “We do seem to play them a lot. Thankfully this game is at home, which is nice for us, and probably for them too because Home Park is a great facility and it’s an opportunity to play in front of a decent crowd.
”This will be my third time involved in the Youth Cup against Mangotsfield. We’ve progressed the last two times, so hopefully we can make it a third this year.”
Despite the previous meetings between the two sides, Lowry explained that preparing for a non-league opponent brings its own challenges compared to Argyle’s usual opposition in the EFL Youth Alliance League.
“We don’t know loads about them really,” he said. “They’re a non-league side with a high player turnover. So, they aren’t going to have many of the same players that we have faced in previous years.
”Of course, we have done our homework and managed to get a bit of footage, but our preparation has been a little bit different to normal.
“But we talk a lot about what we want to do and our principles of play. That’s just as important, if not more, as knowing everything we can about Mangotsfield.”
Argyle have enjoyed a positive start to the season and sit top of their league having earned 26 points from a possible 33. Lowry is keen for his side to maintain those standards as they enter a new competition.
“We talk about consistency a lot. Obviously, we do our match preparation and discuss the opponents, but the main bit is about us and what we do; how we impact the game, our patterns and the principles when we’re on the ball and out of possession.
”I firmly believe, as do the players, that if we are at it and we do get the principles right, then we will come out on top against most oppositions that we play against. So, it’s really important that we concentrate on us and be the best version of ourselves.”
The Young Pilgrims have enjoyed memorable FA Youth Cup campaigns in recent years, most notably progressing to the quarter-finals in the 2024/25 campaign. During that run, Argyle beat Carlisle United, Lincoln City and Everton before being knocked out by eventual winners Aston Villa.
Several members of this season’s squad, including Seb Campbell, Billy Devlin, James Sharpe and Frankie Maund, featured in that historic run, providing valuable experience ahead of Tuesday’s tie.
A victory would secure a place in the second round and set up a tie against St Ives Town, who defeated Racing Club Warwick 6-0.
Tickets are still available for Argyle’s first round clash with Mangotsfield at Home Park and can be purchased here. Kick-off is at 7pm on Tuesday, 3 November.