Argyle Under-18s’ calendar year of football is coming to its end, but they’re playing their best football of the season, so far, in the eyes of many in the Academy.
Six wins from six games, in all competitions, is the current title that the Greens boast, and all players and staff are hoping to continue this fine run of form in their away trip to Oxford United, on Tuesday afternoon.
Argyle’s recent victories have not been throwaways either, with confident wins coming away from home against Bromley and Cheltenham, and exciting home performances against MK Dons in the FA Youth Cup and AFC Wimbledon, thanks to Frankie Maund’s last-minute winner at Millennium Fields.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry knows how tough a challenge it will be to continue this run against a strong Oxford Academy set-up, but believes his side can continue doing the basics right to place them in a comfortable position during the game.
“They’re a really strong academy and a really well-coached side,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “Their league position and form at the start of the season are not a true reflection of how good they are. We're going to approach it as a challenging game, which it will be, and as we should.
“We always allude to it in these conversations; we're in great form, so it's important that we continue that by doing what we have done.
“The standards the boys have set themselves are what’s being driven every day. It's consistency from Monday to Friday, not just on a match day, and what you do in training every day. We've found a really good place for that. The boys have settled into that from the start of the season and understand this is what it takes to be consistent.”
Argyle’s last victory came on the road against a strong Bromley side. A Fletcher Poole brace and a confident strike from Maund handed Lowry’s side three points, with a last-minute penalty for the hosts meaning the game ended 3-2.
With an important FA Youth Cup third-round tie against Watford coming up after the Greens’ trip to Oxfordshire, Lowry hopes a victory against the Yellows will provide the momentum and confidence needed to secure a place in the fourth round of the prestigious competition.
He said: “The Bromley game was an excellent display from the boys. It’s a difficult place to go, as they’re a strong side, and it was on a 3G, which is always challenging. I think the 3-2 scoreline was flattering. I thought we were really good value and probably should have had four or five, but missed that real clinical nature in front of goal.
“Momentum is key for us. We’re saying to the players, look at where we were at the start of the season compared to where we are now, and it's something that we're going to use as motivation to keep us going.
“Nothing beats winning and being in good form and being high in confidence leading into Cup games. We must take care of Saturday and make sure we’re in the right frame of mind to do things properly in that game.
“If we do that, I'm sure the result will come with the performance leading into an exciting game against Watford.”
