Argyle Under-18s

Reaction | Argyle Under-18s defeat Everton in FA Youth Cup

Argyle Under-18s pulled off the unthinkable on Tuesday night, securing their place in the quarter-final of the FA Youth Cup with a determined 1-0 victory against Everton.

The fifth-round tie at Walton Hall Park started in the best possible fashion for the Greens through Cole Fisher’s second-minute penalty. Kian Burch was brought down inside the area, with Argyle’s number seven confidently stepping up to repeat his opener against Carlisle United in the competition’s third round.

The Pilgrims followed with a gritty and excellent performance all around. They saw action all over the pitch, including goal-line clearances, tidy attacking play, and teamwork from a young side wanting to prove a point.

They did exactly that and set up a quarter-final match away from home to another Category 1 academy, Aston Villa. Argyle Head Coach Jamie Lowry was beaming from ear-to-ear after the full-time whistle and had nothing but praise for the 90-minute performance from his side in Merseyside.

“I’m pretty speechless to be fair,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “The boys were incredible. Left it all out on the pitch. They put the game plan down to a tee. Blocked tackles, made saves, passed the ball and defended like lions when they needed to. It's just an incredible performance and it's something they fully deserve. They work so hard day in, day out, the whole programme. I'm so proud of them. 

“I think the early goal maybe helped settle the nerves a little bit. The plan was, if you get a chance to play forward and cause problems in the opening 10 minutes, do that, but obviously don't do anything silly. We worked on the kick-off a bit yesterday, with where we wanted to put it, and it was an excellent start with the pass from Jensen [Ireland]. We then kept the ball alive from the corner and had that little bit of quality with Cole’s penalty. 

“They say you can score too early, but I think after 43 seconds, at the start of the game, if you said 1-0 [to us] I'll take it. For the rest of them, the game plan was fantastic and they implemented and carried out.

“As you can imagine, the boys are bouncing in the changing rooms. I can't speak any higher than what they've achieved together. And again, for the lads that missed out, are at home injured, have long-term injuries and things like that, this is a testament to them. So, this is not just for the 16 that were involved today, it's the whole academy, in terms of the scholars and then also the coaching staff throughout the age groups as well. 

“It's all a massive part of it, part of the journey, and it's a massive thing for our guys as well. I’m super proud and pleased for them.”

Under-18 captain Joel Sullivan said: “I can't even put it into words. We knew how big this game was going into it and knew what we had to do. Jamie and all the other coaches talked us through the game plan, and I think we carried it out really well today. My voice is going a little bit, but it’s the best feeling ever.

“It's a great honour to reach the next stage of the competition. It means a lot. All the lads work hard every single day, in and outside of training, putting in 100% all the time. I think our hard work's justified, and it shows in the result today.” 

Defender Jensen Ireland said: “We knew they were going to be a good team from the start. Obviously, a Category 1 academy and the Everton name, but something we spoke about a lot is keeping more clean sheets. So once that first goal went in, Sully (Joel Sullivan) and I – and not just us, the rest of the team from front to back - we defended with our hearts and put everything on the line. That's why we've come away with such a special result. It's really special; we're all buzzing.

“We've been at the club for ages, since we were really young and when you're at the Academy, the FA Youth Cup is circled on your calendar. Beating Everton away is something so special for us all.”

Photo - Everton Football Club