Argyle Under-18s battled back from a goal down to claim a 4-1 victory over Swindon Town, extending their winning run in the EFL Youth Alliance League to eight matches.
In difficult first-half weather conditions, the Young Pilgrims fell behind but responded impressively, with Frankie Maund scoring twice before a Swindon own goal and Tashall Sandhu’s composed finish put the game beyond the Robins.
The result means Argyle extend their lead at the top of the table and maintain their impressive record of winning every league game, while scoring at least three goals.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry made three changes to the side that beat Barnet 3-2 last weekend as Leo McCormick, Jared Rendle and Sam Hayman replaced Charlie Pawley, Corey Browne and Jovan Wamani.
This meant a back four of Dylan Williams, Hayman, Toby MacLean and Rendle started in front of McCormick. Joel Tolcher and Billy Devlin resumed their partnership in midfield, while Marley-Blu Francis and Tashall Sandhu retained their places out wide, leaving James Sharpe and Maund up front.
It was a manic start to the game with neither side able to control possession in the early exchanges, which could perhaps be put down to the wet and windy conditions. A prime example of the weather’s impact came just three minutes in, when Swindon goalkeeper Charlie Summers tried several times to take a goal kick, only for the ball to comically keep moving away from him.
The Robins adjusted to the conditions fastest and took the lead in the 13th minute with their first opportunity of the game. Jacob Hagan drove down the left flank, before cutting into the box and unleashing a powerful right-footed shot into the back of the net.
In reaction to Hagan’s opener, Argyle began to grow into the game and dominate possession, but were still finding it hard to create any clear-cut chances.
That was until Maund and Sharpe linked up well to force Summers into his first save of the afternoon, 38 minutes into the match.
Shortly afterwards, the pair combined again, but this time it ended in a different result – a goal.
After a clearance from the Argyle defence, Sharpe held the ball up well and played a precise through ball straight into the path of Maund, who made no mistake to dribble around the keeper and find the back of the net for his 10th goal of the season.
The striker had a good chance to give his side the lead on the brink of half-time, but he failed to find the target after forcing a mistake from Benjamin Head.
Near the start of the second half, Sharpe appeared to have been fouled on the edge of the box, but instead the referee controversially booked him for a mixture of simulation and dissent, meaning the striker will miss Monday’s Premier League Cup game against AFC Bournemouth Under-21s.
Seconds later, Sandhu drove into the box and used some quick footwork to earn a penalty and give Argyle the chance to take the lead. Maund stepped up and thrashed a left-footed shot down the middle of the goal, to net his second of the afternoon.
Swindon had a few chances after the Greens took the lead, most notably when McCormick made a great save from close range to deny Hagan an equaliser. Off the back of that save, Argyle cleared the ball and ended up winning a corner up the other end of the pitch.
This would prove to be a crucial moment in the game.
Rendle, who was making his return to under-18s action following a stint with the first team, whipped the corner in towards the front post, forcing Head to make a decision. The Swindon captain attempted to nod the ball away but instead found the top-right corner of his own goal to make it 3-1 to Lowry’s side.
Argyle showed no signs of slowing down from this point onwards, with Sandhu and substitute Boudarga-Wischhoff causing chaos up front following the withdrawal of Sharpe and Maund from the game.
Deep into additional time Sandhu extended the Greens’ lead further. The attacker capitalised on an error at the back for Swindon and produced a composed finish when left one-on-one with Summers.
Lowry was pleased with his side’s efforts to fight back from a goal down and earn an eighth successive league win, keeping Argyle top of the table.
He said: “Credit to the lads. They’ve had a really tough schedule - and they’ve got an even tougher one coming up. They give everything every single day so I can’t ever complain about their effort levels.
“In terms of the game, we started very slow with going a goal down - and it was a poor one to concede. We didn’t work hard enough to track back and stop the cross.
“But as the game went on, we grew into it and were the stronger team, scoring four goals.
“There are plenty of positives to take. It’s my nature and the nature of the job to want the boys to develop and reach their potential. We always want more from them, but it is important to give them praise and credit.”
Argyle: 23 Leo McCormick, 2 Dylan Williams, 3 Jared Rendle (12 Corey Browne, 69), 4 Joel Tolcher, 5 Sam Hayman (14 Jovan Wamani, 77), 6 Toby MacLean, 7 Tashall Sandhu, 8 Billy Devlin (capt), 9 Frankie Maund (15 Harry Locke, 77), 10 James Sharpe (16 Emran Boudarga-Wischhoff, 60), 11 Marley-Blu Francis.
Booked: Sharpe 55, Locke 86.
Goals: Maund 40, 57, Head (og) 66, Sandhu 90+3.