Argyle Under-18s suffered a 1-0 defeat to Oxford United on Saturday afternoon at Millennium Fields.
A game filled with few chances in front of goal for both sides was won by an Albie Collins header in the 10th minute.
From the opening whistle, it became clear that a clinical nature was needed from either side to come away with a result from the match, with the bobbly surface causing possession issues from the outset.
It was like a game of basketball, but not in an exciting way. Argyle would hold possession and be forced to play long, with quick passing being visibly tough due to the pitch, and then the exact same would happen for Oxford.
Collins’ header, after creating space from his marker in green, was a powerful but simple one, beating Leo McCormick in the Argyle goal before turning away in celebration and being mobbed by his teammates.
Jamie Lowry’s side did hunt for an equaliser quickly after the decisive goal, but no-one was able to get on the end of crosses from Jared Rendle and Fletcher Poole, which meant that the hunt for a leveller continued.
The remainder of the first half was highlighted by two yellow cards for the visiting side. Goalkeeper Will Jackson was shown a card for delaying the restart, with U’s captain Charlie Cramond also receiving one just minutes later.
After the restart, it was Oxford who came close first. Riley Dourish released an effort at goal, forcing McCormick into a low save to his left, but the young goalkeeper did well to push the effort away.
Substitutions dominated the next 25 minutes, with Lowry bringing on Billy Devlin and Emran Wischhoff – the latter making his debut for the Under-18s – but it was again Oxford who looked likely to add another.
Kesh Purcell had a chance in front of goal – one that many thought could only find the back of the net from close range – but scuffed his lines and forced McCormick into a very comfortable save.
More changes came for the Greens in the final minutes, with Jovan Wamani and James Sharpe coming into the action but, again, it was Oxford with another close chance. A deflected shot, off a player in yellow, tested McCormick with the game nearing its end, but the number 23 did well to stop the attempt.
As additional time stretched on, Argyle had a chance with the final kick of the game to draw level, through Frankie Maund.
Seconds prior, a long throw-in fell to Tashall Sandhu at the back post, but his poked shot towards goal was saved well and out of play for a corner. The resulting corner picked out Maund, but his flicked header hit the top of the crossbar, with groans being heard all around Millennium as the chance to claim a point fell away from the Greens.
Head Coach Lowry said: “Oxford are a very good side, so we had to be at our best today, and unfortunately, we conceded a poor goal early from a set play, where we didn't do our jobs properly, and they got a free header, and that won them the game,
“Apart from that, it was pretty scrappy and even. The pitch wasn’t helping either team to really control possession, being bouncy and bobbly, but from our point of view, we just didn't do enough to win the game. I think we only had one shot on target in the whole game, which is just a lack of quality and energy, and somebody taking a bit of accountability to try to be a match-winner.
“Those little bits, from my point of view, were disappointing like the result, but, again, it’s another learning curve and a great opportunity to put things right moving forward.”
Argyle: 23 Leo McCormick, 2 Toby Haley (12 Jovan Wamani, 83), 3 Malachi Davy (15 James Sharpe, 83), 4 Sam Lord (capt), 5 Sam Hayman, 6 Lewis Flowers, 7 Tashall Sandhu, 8 Seb Campbell (14 Billy Devlin, 67), 9 Frankie Maund, 10 Fletcher Poole, 11 Jared Rendle (16 Emran Wischhoff, 70). Substitutes: 1 Thomas Armytage (gk).
