Argyle Under-18s will be looking to take a big step towards qualification in the PDL Cup when they take on Cardiff City this Saturday at 12pm.
Jamie Lowry’s side won their first match in the competition against Bristol City, with fixtures against Cardiff and Swindon Town remaining.
The Young Pilgrims will need to top their group to progress to the knockout stage of the PDL Cup – a competition that includes both category three academies, like Argyle and ones from a step above, like Cardiff and Bristol City.
Lowry believes a win this weekend would put the team in good stead to reach the quarter-finals.
“It is going to be a test,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “But this will be a great opportunity for us to get through.
”We had a really good 1-0 win against Bristol City and Cardiff are another strong category two side. We are at home so that is a little bit of an advantage for us in terms of knowing our surroundings and how to play on the pitch.
“The boys have set themselves the challenge to qualify for the next stage and now we have a chance to go and execute that.
”We have played Cardiff Under-21s recently and in pre-season we played the Under-18s, so we have had a lot of footage to understand the way they play. It is a game that we are looking forward to and hopefully it is a positive outcome.”
It is expected to be a far more youthful Cardiff side than the Under-21s team that defeated Argyle 3-2 in the Premier League Cup, but Lowry believes their style of football will remain largely the same.
The Argyle Under-18s Head Coach said: “They are a possession-based team. They want to pass the ball, and they have good rotations - like they did here in the Under-21s game. They also did that really well in the Under-18s game in pre-season.
“So, it is something that we have got to be respectful of, but not too much. We can’t just let them control the game. When we get opportunities to go press and be aggressive, we will. But we have got to be mindful that if we get our press wrong or do not do it at the right moments, they can pass around us because they are a good side.”
Including Saturday’s game against Cardiff, the Young Pilgrims face a busy run of fixtures, with seven matches in just 24 days.
That includes five away trips to Portsmouth, Cambridge United, Newport County, Swindon Town and AFC Bournemouth.
But Lowry believes this will be a positive learning experience for his players.
He said: “At the moment it is about concentrating on Cardiff but in the back of our minds is preparing and understanding what the next couple of weeks are going to look like.
“In these next two weeks we have got four tough, good games coming up and the lads have set themselves the challenge of coming through them and picking up as many points as possible, as well as getting the different experiences that they need to develop.
“Playing Saturday and Tuesday will help prepare them for a first team experience. They can travel and get the feeling of hotel preparation, pre-game and post-game. It is all about their development and it is something we’re really looking forward to.”
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You can watch Jamie Lowry’s Cardiff preview, in full, on Argyle TV here.