Argyle Under-18s' season has not started the way they have wanted it to, but a trip to Wycombe Wanderers this Saturday can be the kicker for a good run of form in the eyes of Head Coach Jamie Lowry.
Defeats to Luton Town and Sutton United, with nine goals conceded, has left Argyle in unfamiliar territory through the opening two games of the EFL Youth Alliance League South campaign.
A tough challenge awaits against Wycombe on Saturday afternoon, but Lowry believes that an important result can be achieved from a collective performance in Buckinghamshire.
“We must look for a positive performance,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “It’s key that we set ourselves and focus on us. We have a clear identity of how we want to play, and it's something that we've really focused on this week: being nice and positive. We could be a lot better in possession than we have been in the first two games, as we have conceded the goals that we have, and our out-of-possession play hasn't been great either.
“Something that we’ve really focused on is making sure we’re a lot braver on the ball in possession, and that will hopefully support the out-of-possession work as well.
“I think I've seen that hunger at points. They're not happy with how we’ve started the season. They want to do better. They want to improve. It’s now on how we bounce back and how the group grows stronger and develops from that.
“We’ve had two really difficult away games, which is now followed by another; three in a row is a challenge, but it's something that is part of their development and part of the individual growth and group growth.
“It’s part of football to go in and out of form. We've had lots of success and positive runs over the last couple of years, and it’s all part of learning and going through the highs and lows. It's about how we deal with these situations, going through a bit of a bad form and some poor performances, and how we come back stronger and grow together.”
Wycombe joined the YAL South this summer and started life in Category 3 with victories over Sutton United and Exeter City, in the league and up respectively.
Lowry is aware of the threats Wanderers possess and how challenging it may be for Argyle, but also understands that, after a week of positive training and the build-up to the tie, three points can be attained with a strong performance.
He said: “They've gone strong with their recruitment and have recruited a lot of good players. Some who are a little older, and they also have a mixture of backgrounds, with some being under-16s, some who have played men's football, and also a couple of third-year scholars to support their programme.
“One thing we spoke about after the game last week was that it's okay to say the things about having a good week in training against each other, but you're judged on the Saturday. That's where your bread and butter is earned. Those individual performances and people taking accountability for their actions is important.”
