Plymouth Argyle U18 vs Northampton Town U18

Thu 17th Apr

Kick-offTBC

PLY Argyle

NTH Northampton

Argyle Under-18s face Northampton Town at Harper’s Park on Thursday afternoon, in their final home game of the season in Youth Alliance League South.

In their previous two fixtures, the Greens picked up three points against Bristol Rovers and a point against Sutton United at home. Now, they are looking to make it three games unbeaten. Northampton currently sit 16th in the Southern league table, while Argyle hold fifth.

Head Coach Jamie Lowry believes that if his side competes in the right manner and correct any mistakes seen in previous fixtures, the game can fall in favour of the Greens.

“We're really looking forward to it,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “However, we must build on the things we've spoken about in the last four or five weeks. One has been about being ruthless in front of goal and taking opportunities as a team. We’re creating lots of opportunities but not killing teams off, allowing them to stay in games - and that's costing us because we‘re not keeping clean sheets.

“This is a perfect opportunity to put everything together and have a total performance. That’s what I'm looking for.

“[Throughout games this year] we've done really well and outperformed the opposition, in my opinion, but we’ve not been clinical enough in the final third to take opportunities and in and around our box as well, we’ve not kept enough clean sheets this year.

“Again, that's a collective thing. We need to press from the front, stop crosses and make blocks around the goal. The challenge I've set them is to have that complete performance, clean sheet mentality and be ruthless in the attacking third.

“We also spoke about getting a bit of run together and being consistent with our performances [to finish the season]. However, it's also important that we don’t go and just perform, we want back-to-back wins. You want to go and win games of football, not just draw or keep teams alive.

“We don't have the all-round game to get across the line and win. We're allowing teams back in, like with Leyton Orient and Sutton, so it's that consistency throughout the game and ruthlessness in both areas that are important for us.”

Northampton may have struggled throughout the year but have picked up important victories against Sutton United, MK Dons and Stevenage, all teams who caused issues for the Greens in their ties earlier this season.

Lowry is aware of the technical ability they possess and how they may set up, but thinks home form and hard work can help his side in PL2.

He said: “They play 3-4-3, like the majority of the teams in the league at the moment. It seems to be a bit of a phase that everyone's going through, trying that shape. They'll press quite high, are technically quite nice, and will try to play through the thirds, so it’s an opportunity for us to go and be aggressive.

“It’s important that we have the hard work and competitiveness, winning tackles, being aggressive on first and second balls, and have our basics to go and build off. We expect a tough game but again, with our form, we’ve only lost one game at home this season and want to keep that going.”

Argyle Under-18s came away as 6-2 victors in their final home game of the season at Harper’s Park against nine-men Northampton Town, thanks to a quartet of goals from Cole Fisher.

Despite falling 2-0 behind to the visiting side in the opening 15 minutes of the game, an impressive and determined performance from Jamie Lowry’s side saw the three points come the way of the Greens.

Fisher’s four goals and a goal apiece for Fletcher Poole and Sam Lord propelled Argyle to a decisive win in the sun, following two red cards in four minutes for Northampton.

The visitors stormed out to an early lead, with goals from Ollie Evans and Neo Dobson placing them in good stead after just 13 minutes of action. However, motivation from the pitch and sidelines soon turned Argyle’s mindset into a positive one and by the half-hour mark, the Greens had the lead.

Fisher scored his, and Argyle’s, first of the game just after the 20th minute after some tidy play on the left. Poole fired a ball across the box, and it was tapped home by the Argyle number seven.

After missing a looping header earlier in the game, before Fisher’s goal, Poole redeemed himself by winning the ball off a pass from Elliott Smith in the Northampton goal, driving towards goal and slotting home to level the game.

Just two minutes later, the celebrations continued as a repeat of the opening goal occurred, and Fisher handed Argyle the lead. Some strong defensive efforts from Jensen Ireland and company neutralised any attacking threat in the final minutes of the half, meaning the Greens went into the break as leaders of the tie, following a breathless opening 45.

Argyle’s attacking efforts continued early in the second half, but Northampton held strong and managed to block, clear or halt the efforts around the box and at goal to begin with.

In the 65th minute, Northampton defender Freddie Findlay was sent off for receiving a second yellow card after handling the ball on the ground and the tie started to shift more in the Greens’ favour.

Three minutes later, Fisher had his third and Argyle’s lead was extended to two. After winning the ball in the visitors’ box, the midfielder smashed the ball into the back of the net, beating recovering defenders and Smith in goal.

Chaos ensued after the goal. As the celebrations occurred in the corner, the referee brandished a red card for Smith due to a comment made in anger. Northampton were reduced to nine men, and with no goalkeeper on the bench, goalscorer Evans was forced to wear the number 1 shirt for the remainder of the tie.

Argyle used the extra men to their advantage and scored their fifth and sixth goals of the game, through Lord and Fisher, in the remaining minutes of the tie, handing them three points at Harper’s Park.

Argyle: 40 Dan Holman, 2 Toby Haley, 3 Sam Hayman, 4 Harley Sneap, 5 Jensen Ireland, 6 Joel Sullivan (capt), 7 Cole Fisher, 8 Sam Lord, 9 Fletcher Poole (14 Frankie Maund, 45), 10 Jared Rendle, 11 Kian Burch (12 Seb Campbell, 25). Substitutes: 15 Joe Hatch.