Jamie Lowry

Lowry previews tough trip to Oxford

Argyle Under-18s face a tough trip away from home on Saturday, as they face Oxford United in South Youth Alliance League action.

The Greens’ unbeaten run in league play was extended to 11 games last weekend, with a 2-2 draw against Cheltenham Town, and now Argyle are prepared to battle with a U’s outfit that has grown in confidence since losing 5-1 at Millennium Fields to Jamie Lowry’s side in November.

The Argyle Head Coach is aware of the match-up that awaits the Pilgrims in Oxfordshire, but has full belief in his side to continue their excellent run of form. 

“It’s going to be a good challenge for the lads,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “It was disappointing to concede two goals after being 2-0 up on Saturday, but it’s something we've spoken about and tried to address this week. We're doing lots of work on managing the game, but also defending around the box, which I think is important for us and something we want to try and take forward into the game against Oxford on the weekend.  

“The confidence is still there though, of course. There's still been a good buzz around the place. After the Cheltenham game, the boys were really disappointed and said it felt like a defeat - which is good. That's the standards we've set and where we want to be.

“Now, it's been put to bed and we’re focusing on Oxford, which will be a difficult task. If they beat us, they go above us, so it'll be a tough but good test. They're a strong side and it's up to us again to be on the front foot and take the game to them.

“We need to continue to focus. It’s a different game to the one at Millennium Fields earlier in the season. Travelling away from home is difficult, but it's something we always speak about and make sure we can utilise our strengths to get a result. We can't have any complacency. The last result is gone now. It's been and gone. It's a totally different game. It’s now down to how we perform on Saturday.”

Hectic scheduling is something Lowry and the Under-18s are used to already after the first half of the season, but the Oxford game is the start of a gruelling two-week period with four potential games in quick succession.

He said: “It's felt like it's been Saturday-Tuesday for the whole season so far! The games programme has been really relentless. So again, credit to the boys for their perseverance. Due to the high workload that we ask and require from them in games, the breaks in between are important so we can manage them, get the legs going again, have lots of recovery sessions and make sure they're fresh and ready to go and perform in each game. It's all about being ready for the match to perform. 

“It is something we've done quite a lot this season, being in lots of cups and competitions. We've had opportunities to practice the Saturday-Tuesday side of things. It's now down to the boys taking responsibility, managing themselves, and looking after themselves away from the club with sleep and rest.”