Argyle Under-18s start their EFL Youth Alliance South season on Saturday morning, with an away trip to last season’s champions, Luton Town.
The Bedfordshire side topped the table in the 2024/25 campaign, picking up 65 points and 21 wins in just 27 games. However, they were unable to overcome Argyle at Millennium Fields, with Sam Lord’s last-minute equaliser cutting the Hatters’ celebrations short before the journey home.
A competitive pre-season, including wins against Burton Albion and the Liverpool Foundation and games against Wigan Athletic and Wrexham, has put Jamie Lowry’s side in good standing ahead of the opening tie.
The Argyle Head Coach believes that a physical battle will ensue, but it’s one that Argyle must go out and show the rest of the league what can be achieved this season.
“Luton are always a strong side at Under-18s level,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “They’re competitive and physical, so it’s up to us to go and compete, for one, and set the challenge and marker down against last year's champions. We maybe didn’t finish or be around where we wanted to be last season, so need to have our mindset of ‘we're here to go and be at the top and be competitive,’ and what better way than an away game against last year's league champions to go and send a message out to the rest of the league.
“We also see the journey as a positive. The boys get a chance to bond again and spend five or six hours on a bus, allowing them to spend time together and build their relationships through games, quizzes, and other activities. Building a relationship is important off the pitch, so when they do get on the pitch, they know that they're going to run hard for each other, run hard for their friend, and be competitive. Then, when we do pick up the wins and the three points, it tastes even sweeter when everyone's together and bought into the process.
“Preparation has been good and hasn’t changed much from pre-season. Last week, we had our week in Liverpool, which was perfect, and then this week has just been the lead-up to the game.
“We’ve had the Under-15s and -16s in this week, as they’re off from school, so we've utilised having those extra bodies to help us do more 11v11 work, which we normally don't get the opportunity to do. It’s been really important that we utilised that well, but it's also good for the Under-16s to be around everything as well and see what it looks like at the Under-18s level.
“I just want us to be competitive on Saturday. That’s what we spoke about first and foremost. We've got some technically nice players and some tactically clever players, but I think as a group, we need to make sure we perform well.
“We have performed well in pre-season. It's because we were focused and competitive. We've got a little bit of bite about us, and we're ready to land on first and second balls. The ugly side of football is sometimes taken for granted, but I think when we've performed well, it's been because we've nailed that and then our football side can come out and flourish.”
Argyle’s pre-season performance was one that Lowry was happy with and credits the week-long camp in Liverpool with helping the squad in all aspects.
After reflecting on the work over the summer, he also shared his hope for the season, highlighting the need to be competitive over the long campaign but also help develop the Under-18s both on and off the pitch.
He said: “Pre-season is a really important time, but it is difficult in two ways. One, there is a lot of fitness and physical work to build the boys back up and two, it’s about trying to get that competitive edge ready for the season.
“The time away was really useful in terms of having the boys being together and building the relationships that they're going to need throughout the season to become a team and build togetherness.
“The second part of pre-season is important for us as coaches, to allow us to set our expectations and set our DNA throughout the squad. Overall, it's been a really good pre-season. The boys have been committed and keen to learn, so that's important.
“The squad has set their targets and what they want to achieve this season, so that's important. I think they have them to be held accountable for, but for me, it's just to be competitive with each competition individually and see the boys develop.
“At the end of the season, we want to be able to say, 'he's improved from the start of the season and developed in this, etc.” and that’s important, especially for the second years, who are looking for a contract with the first team. The development of players is the be-all and end-all, but winning and being competitive are also entwined with that.”
