A bolstered Argyle Under-18s side suffered a 3-2 defeat against Cardiff City Under-21s in the Premier League Cup, at Home Park.
Owen Oseni gave the Greens a 1-0 lead, before goals from Isaac Davies, Troy Perrett and Jake Davies sealed the win for the visitors. Tashall Sandhu netted a late consolation goal to make it 3-2 in the final action of the game.
The youthful Argyle outfit, led by Jamie Lowry, gave a good showing, particularly in the early stages, but the Professional Development League side proved too strong.
Oseni put the Greens a goal up just two minutes before half time, producing a powerful left-footed strike from the edge of the box that nestled into the far top corner.
The Nigerian striker’s goal came after James Sharpe’s relentless pressure turned the ball over, before he assisted his strike partner for the evening.
Argyle went into the break with a deserved lead, having created more opportunities and efforts on goal than their opponents.
However, that lead only lasted a short time.
11 minutes into the second half, Isaac Davies equalised for the visitors with a well-taken strike into the bottom right corner from the penalty spot.
Just after the hour mark, Troy Perrett gave Cardiff a 2-1 lead after he capitalised on a loose ball inside the box. A minute later, the Welsh side doubled their lead through Jake Davies who finished off a fast counter attack.
Sandhu then struck in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, after taking the ball around the keeper and producing a composed finish.
Despite this, England Under-16s goalkeeper Tom Armytage did well to deny the Cardiff attack in the opening half. He made a great save inside the first ten minutes to stop Herbie James from scoring after the striker went through one-on-one.
It was a team effort to limit the Welsh side to a single first half shot on target, with Joe Edwards, Joe Mwaro, Sam Hayman and Jared Rendle forming the back line.
In front of them Joel Tolcher and Seb Campbell provided the midfield cover, assisted by wingers Freddie Issaka and Sandhu who fed Oseni and Sharpe up top with crosses and through balls throughout the opening 45.
For the second half, the experienced duo of Edwards and Oseni were replaced by youngsters Frankie Maund and Jovan Wamani who came on to play striker and right-back, respectively.
Argyle had two good chances to double their lead a minute before Cardiff’s equaliser.
Sharpe played a tempting through ball for Maund whose shot was eventually blocked by Cardiff captain Thierry Katsukunya. From the resulting corner, Sharpe’s header looked bound for goal but was deflected away by the opposition defence.
Lowry’s young Argyle side gave their best efforts with several players standing out, but it was not to be for them on the night.
Issaka and Sandhu were sharp on the flanks, looking to take on their full backs at every opportunity, while Campbell and Tolcher were combative in the middle of the park.
Argyle’s next fixture in the Premier League Cup will be a journey to face AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday, 12 October.
Argyle: 1 Tom Armytage, 2 Joe Mwaro (capt), 3 Jared Rendle (15 Dylan Williams, 89), 6 Joel Tolcher, 7 Tashall Sandhu, 8 Joe Edwards (17 Jovan Wamani, 45), 18 Owen Oseni (11 Frankie Maund, 45), 25 Freddie Issaka (26 Billy Devlin, 66), 38 Seb Campbell, 39 Sam Hayman, 44 James Sharpe (30 Harry Locke, 89). Substitutes: 41 Leo McCormick (gk), 29 Toby Maclean.
Goals: Oseni 43, Sandhu 90+8
Cardiff City: 1 Jake Dennis, 2 Noah Williams, 3 T-Jay Parfitt (18 Charlie O’Brien, 45), 4 Dakarai Mafico, 5 Thierry Katsukunya (capt), 6 Noah Anyadike, 7 Jake Davies, 8 Isaac Davies (15 Riley Hilaire-Clarke, 88), 9 Troy Perrett (14 Hayden Allmark, 88), 10 Paul Moreno, 11 Herbie James (12 Dan Ola, 73). Substitutes: 13 Charlie Bell (gk), 16 Gabriel Keita, 17 Sekou Kaba.
Goals: I. Davies 57, Perrett 63, J. Davies 65
Attendance: 575
Referee: James Durkin