FA Youth Cup nights create memories that last forever for all staff, players, and families involved, and Tuesday night was another example of that.
Argyle secured their place in the third round of the cup with a 3-0 victory over Milton Keynes Dons, which eventually came in a comfortable manner after early proceedings were dominated by the visitors.
Tegan Finn shone under the lights, bagging a brace and providing the cross that gave the Greens their opening goal, with a Dons’ player attempting to clear the ball but only putting it in his own net.
Last year’s heroics in the competition – the Greens reached the quarter-finals - started in the third round, with an extra-time victory over Carlisle, and, now, a trip to Watford awaits after triumph in PL2. It is a trip Head Coach Jamie Lowry cannot wait to get stuck into.
“We got there comfortably in the end tonight, but credit to MK Dons, I thought they were excellent for the first 20 minutes,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “We were not at it, and I thought in possession we were probably a bit too nice, and weren't aggressive when we needed to go, press and regain the ball. They played some nice football in the first 20 minutes and settled into the game a lot better than we did.
“It was good to get through that 20-minute period unscathed. Obviously, we would’ve liked it to have been a bit shorter than 20 to 25 minutes, but once we did, we were brave.
“We spoke to the boys before the game about how important it was that, we're playing at Home Park on a great surface, and because of that, we must be brave and pass the ball; otherwise, we might as well go and play in the park.
“When we did settle into it, that's why we got our way back into the game and started to control and dominate. Our bravery, good decision-making, people making more options and angles to go and get the ball; that all got us in control of the game, and we got joy from it. After the first 25 minutes, I was really pleased, and the boys were excellent.
“Watford are a really strong side and had an excellent run last year, going one step further than us and reaching the semi-final, but it is another opportunity for our boys to go and experience something a little bit different.
“They will have the chance to test themselves against a Category Two side. We’ve had the experience last year of a bit of a giant killing, against Everton, and going to play some tougher games, so it's something that we’ve been used to, to an extent.
“We don't want to just be happy going to the third round, we want to go again and keep progressing. This will be a fantastic experience and opportunity for lads to go and progress in this competition.”
Finn made an excellent impact on the game last night for Argyle on the right flank, but it was not just the forward’s goals that won Argyle the tie.
Tidy and compact defending from Jack Flower, his defensive line in front of him, including a goal-line clearance from Toby Haley, and all in green helped Argyle keep a clean sheet for the second game, out of two, in the FA Youth Cup.
Lowry was delighted with his side’s desire to keep the clean sheet, and also shared positive words for the impact Finn had in the victory.
He said: “Tegan is fantastic, and we know what a wonderful talent he is. It is important for him to get minutes when he needs them, being part of the first team, and this is a great opportunity for him.
“He obviously adds that extra little bit of magic dust to win games and change games in moments, so it's great having him. The boys give him a lift as well, and know he can make something happen, and you saw that tonight with him taking his two goals really well.
“We talked about tonight being a big team effort, and it was. Jack made some good saves, Toby Haley defended really well, along with Sam Hayman, who I thought was outstanding - it was a team effort.
“Some of the goals, we built up from the back, with the defenders being joined in from Jack, through the midfield and into the top end of the pitch to score. We also have to defend collectively as a team; we've not kept enough clean sheets this season.”
