Argyle Under-18s returned to winning ways on Saturday afternoon, picking up three points in a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth.
Emran Wischhoff’s first-half finish put the Greens in the driving seat early on, with stellar defensive efforts and hard work pushing Jamie Lowry’s side over the line at Copnor Road.
With several second-year scholars out on work experience loans, Lowry turned to a youthful line-up against Pompey, with changes all over the pitch, but it worked as planned.
An electric start left the hosts shocked, with corners and free-kicks coming in their numbers and, just seven minutes in, the lead was Argyle’s.
Wischhoff, who has just signed his scholarship at Home Park, tapped home Frankie Maund’s pass across the box, after quick attacking play caught Portsmouth out.
The pressure on goal and front-foot approach by Argyle continued, but chance after chance went awry. Jared Rendle had his right-footed shot from inside the area saved, back-to-back corners came to nothing, and the remainder of the half was dominated by injuries and slow play.
After the break, Portsmouth came out firing and hunting for an equaliser, forcing Argyle to react and defend confidently. An early shot for Joel Tolcher, which was saved by Ethan Bell in the hosts’ goal, was the only real chance in the second half, and came four minutes after the restart.
Pompey hunted, forcing the Greens further into their own half, pressuring Leo McCormick and his defence, but they held on. Elisha Pfupa picked up the ball on the edge of Argyle’s box and fired a low-driven effort at goal, but his attempt was wide, allowing some time for a breather ahead of the final 10 minutes of play.
In the latter stages of the game, the hosts should have drawn level. Quick counter-attacking play ended with a close-range opportunity for a player in blue, arriving, but the contact was too powerful and made the shot fly over the bar and out for a goal kick.
Argyle held on until the referee blew his whistle, picking up an important three points on the road.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry said: “I’m really pleased with how we played. In the first half, we were good in possession, passed the ball well and created quite a few chances, scoring a really nice goal. In the second half, they got after us a little bit more, and were more aggressive on the press, which made us a bit rushed in possession.
“The pleasing thing about that tough period was that we defended well and kept a clean sheet. The boys rolled their sleeves up, worked hard, blocked and made tackles, where I think earlier this season we might not have done.
“I’m really pleased with the boys' character and personality to keep a clean sheet, defend as they did and pick up three points.”
Argyle: 23 Leo McCormick, 2 Joe Mwaro (capt) (12 Dylan Williams, 80), 3 Malachi Davy, 4 Billy Devlin, 5 Sam Hayman, 6 Toby Maclean (14 Corey Browne, half-time), 7 Tashall Sandhu (15 Oscar Dean, 65), 8 Joel Tolcher, 9 Frankie Maund, 11 Jared Rendle, 29 Emran Wischhoff. Substitutes: 1 Daniel Lay.
Goals: Wischhoff 7.
Yellow card: Mwaro 44.
