Despite immense effort and fight from the get-go, Argyle Under-18s exited the FA Youth Cup on Monday evening, after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Watford away from home.
Jael Norville’s close-range finish gave the hosts the lead just before the break, and after 100 minutes of football, it was the deciding factor.
The Greens battled hard and had opportunities in front of goal, even with just 10 players on the pitch after Oscar Dean was sent off, but couldn’t find the final and decisive touch needed to get back into the tie.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry shared his frustration with exiting the competition after the full-time whistle, but also ensured praise was given to all those involved in the evening under the lights in Kings Langley.
“We’re obviously disappointed to exit,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “I thought we'd done more than enough to win the game. We competed really well, and the boys left everything out there, working extremely hard and competing, but had a few disappointing moments. We conceded a poor goal, and that gave them a bit of a foothold in the game just before half-time, and then we never really had enough quality in and around their box to really hurt them or trouble their keeper as much as we probably should have.
“We came here with the intention of wanting to make Watford work. They knew they were in for a game, and the boys' effort, and desire to run and compete was incredible. There were just a few bits of quality that we probably lacked to go and win the game.
“Even when we went down to 10 men, I still thought we were looking like we were going to get back in the game. We still had chances and set up opportunities, but we couldn’t capitalise. That's the be-all and end-all. The boys can't wait for something to happen or for them to give you something; we’ve got to go and take it.
“We've got to go and be on the front foot, make something happen, and go and take that risk or chance to get in the box. Enough balls came across the box, and we just didn't have that little bit of quality to trouble their goalkeeper as much as we should have.
“We do well getting around the box or down the sides, but we just don't seem to show enough desire to want to go and get in the six-yard box, and take the extra two steps or run the extra few yards for a tap-in. It’s something we can continue to work on because it's a big part of our game.”
Lowry continued on to highlight the positives within his side, one being the performance of defender Sam Hayman.
The Argyle Head Coach credited the defender’s overall 90 minutes, whilst also continuously praising the rest of his side and finding the positives, no matter the result.
He said: “We had some really strong performances. I thought Sam Hayman was outstanding. His defensive performance, in possession, stepping on the ball, bravery, finding a pass - he was really good.
“As I said, the pleasing thing for me is that we came here and we competed. We didn't look like a Category Three team against a Category Two opponent; we matched it but just lacked that bit of quality. When we went on our run last year, those were the key moments, and we didn't quite get that moment right to defend our goal well enough to win the tie tonight.”
