Argyle Under-18s are hoping to progress into the third round of the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday evening, when they face MK Dons at Home Park (7pm).
A 3-0 victory over Mangotsfield United in the opening round was secured thanks to goals from Tashall Sandhu, Kian Burch and James Sharpe, setting up the tie against the Dons.
The Greens have already played the Buckinghamshire side this season in an enthralling game, which saw Argyle come back from 2-0 to win 3-2 at Millennium Fields, through Frankie Maund’s brace and Jared Rendle’s close-range winner.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry knows the meaning behind the cup, after last year’s history-levelling run to the quarter-finals, and hopes his side’s normal preparation and confidence can come out on top when they meet MK under the Home Park lights.
“The approach has been no different to how we approach any game, to be honest,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “We prepare the opponents' strengths and weaknesses, but I keep alluding to it: the biggest thing for us is to do what we do best, impact the game, stamp our authority on it, and play our patterns. That's the most important thing – approaching it like most games.
“We said in the previous round about using our experience of last year's Youth Cup run to our advantage, with playing at night and under the lights at Home Park.
“It possibly could go to extra time, so it's important the boys are built for that and that they're fit and strong, and if that's what it takes, that's what it takes. We can get there. All match options and outcomes are available, but it's important that we do our job. If we do our job properly in the first instance, then the 90 minutes should take care of itself.
“It’s really important tomorrow that we're nice and confident on the ball, look after it, and build our way through the pitch. We definitely need to have that ruthless nature in both boxes as well - make sure that we've got a clean sheet mentality and take our chances in the attacking third.
“The message to the boys has been keep doing what you're doing [after three wins in a row, in all competitions] and don’t overcomplicate things. We've passed the ball really well, been creating a lot more chances, been a lot more dominant than we were at the start of the season in terms of impression, and taken a lot more care of the ball, allowing our patterns to be more fluid.
“We must keep to the script. It's easy to get overconfident or think it's a little bit too easy and we'll try something different, but it's mine and the staff's job to make sure the boys have the clear messages and we keep doing what's got us success recently.”
